


Doing time in Sedona

by NYS30



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, From mid season 6 on, I hated what they did to the entire Gemini Coven, TVD au, there was stil a lot of story to tell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 21:37:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 37,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8550034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NYS30/pseuds/NYS30
Summary: Bonnie has left Mystic Falls behind and is moving on with her life. She's finally got her magic under control, a winery that's thriving, two wonderful business partners. She does not need the Gemini Coven barging back into her life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was borne of needing to see Bonnie get away from Mystic Falls, and opening up her world to other people. This goes AU after Bonnie gets back from 1994. Jo and Alaric get married and are living in Portland with the twins, and Liv is alive. No heretics, no Lily, and Caroline didn't turn it off. After she storms out of the club, Kai wisely leaves Bonnie alone to heal and goes back to Portland to take his place as leader. All is good...until it's not.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining brightly, birds were singing, and there wasn’t a cloud to be found in the sky.

Bonnie Sheila Bennett wanted none of it.

She marched back towards the main house and threw herself on the porch steps, sighing heavily. When she got no answer, she made sure to increase her volume. 

Nothing. 

Cutting her eyes at the handsome man sitting in the screened-in porch eating a truly frightening amount of pancakes, she tried one last time to garner some sympathy, including a pout as well.

He paused long enough to take a swig of orange juice.

She threw her hands in the air, finally conceding, “Nothing? Really?

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Bennett. It’s not like I can control the weather. That’s more of a witch thing.” Tyler Lockwood shrugged.

“You are insufferable, I’m going to find someone who will comfort me in my time of woe.” Bonnie declared dramatically, getting up to go into the house.

“He’s not there, said he’d be going into the office to get caught up on paperwork.” Tyler went back to eating and reading, Bonnie was surprised that she had missed the various books strewn around the table, and paused before leaving. “How’s the studying going?” 

Tyler stretched, “It’s going, I can’t wait till I’m done though. I did not think this much went into making wine and running a vineyard. Can’t I just tell them I’m a wolf with a greater sense of smell, so I know when the grapes are ready to be picked?”

Bonnie snorted, “Sure, then I’ll just tell people I’m a witch who is in tune with the elements and therefore knows where the best places are for the vines to grow. Nobody will think that’s crazy at all! Stick with it. I promise you’ll be glad you did.” She left with a smile and hopped into one of the many golf carts kept around for ease of travel between the vines, house, and official business site. 

On the drive over her smile gradually dimmed, the reason she was in a bad mood coming back with each bead of sweat that dripped down her neck. They needed rain, a good rain that would give her vines (her babies) some much needed relief. Sure she could whip up a spell to manufacture some, but Bonnie didn’t want to tap into that unless absolutely necessary.

She had promised herself after her last magic draining, near death experience that she would get smarter about her magic. She did not want to die again, God only knew what would happen to her the next time she kicked the proverbial bucket. Removing herself from dangerous situations was the first and hardest step. 

“What do you mean you’re leaving us?”

“Whatever witchy, you’re talking crazy.”

“You’re probably still feeling a little woozy from all the blood loss. Let’s get you upstairs and sleep on it”

No amount of begging, cajoling, or outright demanding changed her mind, though. It was time, it was beyond time to leave and strike out on her own, to find her way. It also gave her a chance to broaden her social circle, humans and supernatural alike. 

She went through her Grams’ old contact lists and traveled from coven to coven, meeting other witches, strengthening her magical knowledge, and slowly rebuilding her connection with nature. She had only intended to visit a few of her Grams friends, but once word got out that the last Bennett had finally freed herself from those nasty vampires, the invitations rolled in. Including one from a certain coven in Portland.

Bonnie set that one on fire immediately.

All in all, it was three years of traveling, learning, and Bonnie soaked it all up. 

It was in France where she learned that even though fire is her main element, she also had a talent for discovering fertile soil. Trees, flowers, grapes, it didn’t matter, it was a bit uncanny. After leaving that particular coven she was inundated with dreams of owning her own vineyard. Of walking the vines at sun up or sundown, and sitting on the porch of her dream house. 

Eventually it got too much and she started actively scouting places to call her own. It wasn’t until she hit a small town just outside of Sedona Arizona that her magic all but damn near leaped out at the land. It was a small operation that produced decent wines, but Bonnie knew she could take it further. The current owners were looking forward to retiring, so it was a quick and painless transaction for all. 

Tyler joined her business venture on accident. Turns out there was an established pack in the area going back generations, and Bonnie was unsure of how to proceed, so she called Tyler to discuss ways of introducing herself without causing alarm. Tyler was knocking on her door the next day, with a detailed guide on what to do and how to behave. He stayed to oversee the meeting, and never left. Somewhere along the way he got roped into being the liaison between the pack and Bonnie. He never mentioned it, but Bonnie is sure he just wanted far away from Mystic Falls too.

Snapping out of her daydreaming, Bonnie rounded the last curve and saw not only their tasting room, and front offices, but the gleaming pick-up of their third partner. 

Tyler not only showed up with a detailed guide to follow, he also showed up with a weary Matt Donovan. Bonnie welcomed him with open arms, and an offer to listen whenever he wanted to talk. That was four years ago, their little winery is doing well, and Bonnie knows they’ve found their groove.

“If only it would rain.” She muttered, leaping out and making her way inside where there was air conditioning, calling for Matt but getting no answer.

“I know you’re here, Tyler ratted you out.” She stood in the hallway, hands on her hips.

Arms wrapped around her waist and she was quickly hoisted up and over a broad shoulder. “Geez Bon, I heard ya.”

Trying to wriggle out of his grip without magic was completely useless, Bonnie has learned. The former quarterback has kept up with his physical fitness, so she went slack instead, and soon she back on terra firma looking up into laughing blue eyes. 

“What’s up, why are you here so early? I thought you were walking the vines.” He follows Bonnie into her office and plops on her couch. Bonnie scrunched her nose, “Yeah me too, but I waited too long, it’s hot as hell right now. I’ll take a walk at sunset, and in the meantime, I’ll get Chris and his guys to take a quick look instead.”

Bonnie turns on her computer, figuring she’ll check her email while she’s there. Matt is talking about possibly picking up a new distributor when she feels her heart stop.  
“—and give us wider exposure. Bon? You okay, what is it?” She barely hears Matt as she takes in the contents of the email. 

There was an invitation from the former leader of the Gemini coven. Joshua Parker himself, inviting her to the annual Autumn Solstice, which is being hosted by the Gemini Coven this year. Bonnie deletes the email, turns off the computer, and is considering setting the whole thing on fire.

 

Nope, she finally put all that behind her. Closure achieved. Not opening up that can of worms.


	2. Chapter 2

Bonnie was restless.

Ever since seeing the email from Joshua Parker, she felt as if there were a million ants crawling over her skin. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, she left Matt with a hurried goodbye and rushed outside. Hopping in the golf cart she decided that she would be walking the vines today, there was no way she’d be able to stay cooped up in an office with Matt eyeing her, just waiting for her guard to drop so he can pounce.

Steering the cart down to the fields, she thought about the last time she saw the former Gemini Patriarch. It was in England, through a stroke of bad luck (or so she had thought at the time) Bonnie was staying with a coven known for its specialty in archaic languages (she could have spent years going through their archive) and he was there for some obscure reason or the other. She didn’t question him on it, as a matter of fact, she tried to avoid him altogether. 

Her efforts seemed to pay off until her last day staying with the coven, she had just left the massive library and was heading back to her room to pack when Joshua materialized from seemingly nowhere. 

“Ms. Bennett, I was hoping to have a word with you….if you have time, that is?” It was phrased as a question, but Bonnie knew it was more of a demand. She took a deep breath and tried to make sure none of the irritation she felt showed on her face. “Of course Mr. Parker, I have time right now.”

“Excellent!” he smiled and gestures to head back into the library, “I confess I’m fascinated with their library as well. So organized, so detailed, and one of the oldest around. There is a lot of knowledge to be found if one knows where to look.” Bonnie is making a move to sit on one of the plush couches when he casually throws out, “Most of my children would spend hours in here wandering the shelves if given the chance.” Bonnie tensed, knowing where he was headed. “Including Malachai, he was particularly interested in the Greek section.” His back was to her, but Bonnie knew it was intended to throw her off her game.

She refused to take the bait, though “Oh really? That’s nice.” 

Joshua turned to face her, “Oh yes. He was particular to Gods and Goddesses. He couldn’t get enough, used to refer to himself as a modern day Zelos.” He glanced away and added under his breath “lord knows it fit.”

Incredibly uncomfortable and wanting to strangle Joshua for ruining one of her new favorite places, Bonnie cleared her throat, hoping to drag him back to the present. He looked at her with a half-smile, “and now we have our modern day Hecate” 

Bonnie laughed nervously, “I actually have never thought of myself as a Goddess, just plain ol Bonnie Bennett.” She shifts in her seat and decides that being blunt was the fastest way out of there. “Was there something you wanted to speak to me about?” 

He sat down on the couch opposite of the one she was barely sitting on (she wanted to get the hell out of there quick, fast, and in a hurry if he decided to try anything). “It occurred to me when I realized that you were here, that we’ve never spoken. Your family and mine have been allies for too many years to count, and it’s only right that I extend that courtesy to the sole Bennett left.” 

Bonnie bristled, “I’m not the only one, my cousin Lucy is still alive, and everyone keeps forgetting that.” 

Joshua waved a hand, “Yes of course, Lucinda. How careless of me.” He leans forward, “There was an invitation sent not too long ago. An opportunity to come and visit the Gemini coven and be introduced properly, did you receive it?” 

Bonnie nodded, “Yes, but the timing was off. When your invitation came, I was being hosted by the Rivas coven, it would have been rude to just leave.” Joshua looked as if he were going to protest so Bonnie hurried on “And after that I had already lined up other covens to visit, so your invite just came at a bad time. I apologize for not rescheduling.” 

Liar, her brain shot back.

Joshua continued to study her for a few agonizing seconds, then he smiled as if nothing was wrong. “No matter, I know you must have been a very busy girl. Escaping those vampires and finally immersing yourself in your heritage.” He shook his head, “Poor Sheila would not have wanted you to get caught up in all that vampire foolishness.”

He stands, and Bonnie breathes a sigh of relief, thinking this awkward moment is over. But of course since she’s Bonnie Bennett, it’s not.

“I’ll let my coven know that you’re interested in re-scheduling your visit. I’m sure the current Praetor will be pleased to know that there are no hard feelings, and that we can possibly work together in the future.” Joshua’s gaze is laser focused on her now.

Don’t you so much as fucking blink, her brain is screaming.

Bonnie stands as well and makes her way to the door, “Of course not, I’d be happy to visit Alaric, Jo and the babies. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them in person, pictures don’t really capture everything. And Liv is constantly threatening to kidnap me if we don’t meet up again soon,” Bonnie adds an exaggerated eye roll. “So yes, I do believe I’ll be making my way to Portland soon.” 

“I look forward to it. Until we meet again.” With that he leaves the library and Bonnie can finally breathe. 

“Talk to me, Bonnie B” She’s snapped out of her reverie by the sound of Liv’s voice. Not content to have a regular ring tone, Liv had recorded her own personal greeting. Bonnie grabs the phone like it’s a lifeline. 

“What the hell, Liv?

“Bonnie, don’t freak out. I didn’t know, Jo didn’t know, and going by the look on his face, neither did Kai.“

“Okay, okay.” Bonnie can hear the panic in Liv’s voice. “What’s his end goal? Is he planning something?” Bonnie’s voice dropped as she took in her surroundings, “Do you think he knows?”

“All I know is he took command of the guest list and wouldn’t let anyone else even breathe on it until it was presented to the council.” She could hear Liv moving around, then a door shutting. “As far as that other thing, all signs point to no. My dad is no longer the head of the coven, our magic is no longer funneled through him. Sure he would have felt something, that’s why we scheduled it right smack dab in the middle of training.”

“Okay, if you say so.” Bonnie wasn’t entirely convinced, but hey, it wasn’t her coven/life at risk. 

“I do say so. You should listen to me Bennett,” Liv sounded like she was on the move again. “I kinda know what I’m talking about here.”

“I’m not coming.” Bonnie decided. Liv let out a laugh, “Oh yes you are, cause if I have to deal with these assholes, you do too.”

“Liv!” Oh that was Jo’s ‘mom’ voice. “There are children around, save it for later. Who are you even talking to right now? We’re about to convene.” “It’s Bonnie, she says she’s not coming.” 

There was a slight scuffle, then Jo’s voice came in clear over the line. “You listen to me Bonnie Sheila Bennett, you get that amazing ass of yours in a dress and shake it on over here. You have not lived until you’ve attended an authentic Autumn Solstice.”

“Hey Jo” Bonne says dryly, “I’ve attended plenty of harvests and festivals. I spent three years going from coven to coven attending them!”

“None hosted by the Gemini,” Jo bragged. It was quite the turnaround from Jo wanting nothing to do with being a witch to taking pride in her coven. “And if you need any more incentive, there will be plenty of young men there too.” Oh god, she could practically see the feline grin spread across Jo’s face. 

“What are you, my P-I-M-P?” 

“Well somebody’s gotta get you laid Bennett, it sure as hell isn’t you.” Liv is cracking up in the background, and yep Bonnie has had enough. “I’ll think about it, bye you two.” She hangs up to the sound Jo and Liv attempting to rap 50 cents ‘PIMP’.

 

Jo hands the phone back to Liv, “Do you think she’ll come?” 

Liv shrugged, fiddling with her phone, “I’ll bring in the big guns to help convince her.” 

 

The rest of the council is slowly making their way to their assigned seats, Jo goes to kiss her girls and hand them over to the nanny, while Liv settles in for what will probably be 2 hours of boringness.


	3. Chapter 3

True to her word Liv brought in the big guns to convince (coerce) her. Bonnie had assumed she would be facing the begging baby blues of Matt, but when she opened her front door the next day, she found herself facing the crafty crystal blues of Caroline.

“No.” Bonnie shut the door, making her way to the kitchen, not caring that Caroline had an invitation and would enter anyway. 

“Bonnie….” Caroline started as she entered dragging what looked like a luggage cart behind her. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to get my hands on you? And I’m not talking about for some school dance, I mean full out glam squad. This is going to be so much fun!” Caroline clapped excitedly, curls bouncing merrily.

“Hate to rain on your parade, but I’m not going, Care. It doesn’t feel right, Joshua is planning something, I just know it.” Bonnie took a seat at the bay window overlooking the vineyard. 

“Then isn’t it best that you’ll be there when it all goes down? I mean, you might be called in to help anyway, right? Isn’t that the point of your alliance with them?” Caroline busied herself around the kitchen while she talked, and soon the scent of coffee wafted in the air.

Bonnie snorted, “No, I’m not to fight or interfere with “Gemini Business” Caroline didn’t have to turn around to know that Bonnie was throwing up air quotes. “It was made very clear that I’m strictly on retrieval duty. Plus, Joshua isn’t even supposed to know about my alliance with the coven.”

“But that’s even better! He obviously has no clue, otherwise why would he be pressing this so hard? I’m telling you Bonnie, there is no downside to accepting this invite.” Caroline turned to face Bonnie with a sly smile, handing her a cup, “Jo says that here are going to be plenty of eligible witches? Warlocks?” Her nose scrunched up and she tilted her head to the side, “What do you call a guy that can do magic?”

Bonnie accepted the cup, “I call them not interested.” 

Caroline laughed as she sat down, opening her mouth to continue badgering when they heard a crash.

 

“Why is there a luggage cart in the damn hallway?” Tylers sleep roughened voice floated towards the kitchen.

“Sorry!” Caroline called, hiding a smile behind her coffee mug as Tyler stumbled into the kitchen. “There’s a fresh pot of coffee” she offered cheerfully. Tyler ambled to the coffeepot, filled his cup and took a seat opposite Bonnie. “Not that I’m complaining, cause it’s always good to see you, but what are you doing here? And what’s with the luggage?”

 

“Good to see you too, Ty.” Caroline beamed at Tyler, Bonnie was glad that the two of them had managed to get past their respective issues. Both had been through hell, with and without each other and came out stronger. “I’m Bonnie’s glam squad!” Tyler said nothing, but arched a brow turning to Bonnie. 

“She’s delusional, check the expiration dates on her blood bags.” Bonnie stood to refill her cup.

“You.are.going.” Caroline bit out forcefully, “I swear if I have to hold you down—“

“Oh yeah, good morning to me.” Tyler smiled, Bonnie waved her hand carelessly in his direction causing his coffee to spill over the edge.

“Damn it, I was kidding!” He pushed away from the table and went upstairs to clean up, grumbling the whole way.

“Seriously Care, why is it so important to you that I attend?” Bonnie asked curiously, “and don’t say cause Liv asked. You two aren’t exactly besties.”

Caroline sighed and put her cup down, “Because you deserve it, and I know deep down you want to go. I remember when we were little, and we used to all talk about being in the Ms. Mystic Falls pageant.”

Bonnie frowned and shook her head, “Care, I didn’t—“

“We ALL talked about it.” Caroline restated firmly. “Fancy dresses, a night of dancing, hoping to meet the man of our dreams….only it didn’t happen like that. Not for all of us. You were unfairly blocked from entering the pageant, Elena and I took your word that you didn’t want to participate. I can’t even imagine how it must have felt all those years, standing on the sidelines and having to pretend that you didn’t want to join in. I was too focused on me and what I wanted, but not anymore.”

“Care…”

“And to add insult to injury, you had more claim than anyone who ever entered those damn pageants! Your family was like THE founding family, they made it safe for others to settle here. But they never got their due, they protected the town and what did they get in return? Burned at the stake, and treated as inferior.”

Caroline paused and focused on Bonnie, “I understand why you left, and it needed to happen. I’m glad you did, we were so dependent on you for everything, and that last time….you almost died again and we didn’t even realize it!” Tears started welling in the blondes eyes.

Bonnie walked to Caroline and laid her head on her shoulder while Caroline continued, “You haven’t had many reasons to get all dressed up and be adored like you should, and that’s a damn shame Bonnie Bennett. Let me do this for you, because between running this place and being the badass witch that you are, I bet you haven’t had a night off in forever, right?”

Bonnie shrugged, “There’s been a lot going on, and I do take breaks—“

“Whenever I make her.” Matt popped his head in to add his two cents. “Hey Care, looking good.”

“Mind your own business, Blue” Bonnie snapped playfully. “Fine, I’ll go.” She stepped back in anticipation of the sonic squeal that Caroline was about to release and was not disappointed.

 

The chirp of an email notification was noticeable enough to interrupt the speaker who was currently giving the Praetor updated status on the preparations for the Autumn Solstice. Kai looked over to Joshua, noticing a smile spreading across his face. “Something amusing, pops?” 

Joshua looked up and if possible, his smile grew wider. “Not amusing Malachai, I just received confirmation that Bonnie Bennett will be attending.” He paused, letting the statement sink in, “Wonderful news, don’t you think? It’ll be nice to have a Bennett sit with us as an ally again.”


	4. Chapter 4

“This one?” A baby blue ball gown.

“No.”

“This one?” A forest green dress with an empire waist.

“No.”

“THIS one?” It’s a white Grecian with gold accents.

Bonnie shrugs, “Eh, put it in the maybe pile.” Knowing Caroline was getting to the end of her rope, she decided to throw her a bone.

“Bonnie! We’ve been at this for hours, and all you’ve done is pick maybe a half a dozen for the maybe pile.” Caroline squints in Bonnie’s direction, “I’m starting to think you’re not taking this seriously.”

“You’re JUST now realizing that?” Bonnie started to laugh, but when she looked at Caroline’s fallen face, she sighed. “I’m sorry, Care. I’m just nervous, I have a bad feeling about this. Which means I should not go, but that also means that I probably should be there just in case—“

Caroline waves a piece of a red dress to halt Bonnie’s ramblings, “Bon if you really feel this way, then just stay home.”

“I’ve already accepted, it’s too late to back out on now. I’m sure he’s told the whole coven that I’m coming and I know they’re not going to pass up a chance for another Bennett-Parker blowout.” Bonnie reclined on her bed, looking up at her ceiling that was decorated with stars that were invisible during the day, but at night would come to life if she wanted them to. 

Since getting in touch with her magic she had been utilizing it more for mundane activities. Doing dishes? Cleaning up a dropped wine bottle? No problem, a little witchy woo and everything was perfect once again. ‘This is how growing up should have been.’ Bonnie would think to herself, before the familiar sadness would creep in. She missed her Grams, even after all this time the longing to have the older woman alive and near hadn’t gone away, just settled to a dull ache that would flare up every now and then. 

“So, um.” Caroline breaks in. “You TOTALLY don’t have to tell me what happened, and I’ll COMPLETELY understand if you don’t want to, but what exactly went down with you two? Cause when you left Mystic Falls to do your ‘round the world witch tour’ thing, Kai Parker was still a no go topic, and now you’ve got a chair at his table.”

Bonnie barely lifted her head to mutter, “Not exactly a chair, more like a bar stool.”

“Fine! Whatever, I’ve been so curious about this—“Caroline’s hands are taking on a mind of their own, gesturing left and right. 

“Why?” Bonnie lifted her head. 

“Why what”

“Why are you so interested in how it happened? If I recall, the only concern of everyone was that I just played along. We worked it out, and it’s a done deal.” Bonnie slowly sat up, watching Caroline’s face. 

“Not everyone! I was more concerned about you and how you would react to working with him….them.” Caroline left her ever growing pile of clothes and sat beside Bonnie, “I know it was hard, but you did it and didn’t protest as much as you normally would when working with people you don’t like. It’s like you checked out, and you wouldn’t talk about it….like at all!”

“Because it wouldn’t have changed a damn thing Caroline!” Bonnie burst out. “It didn’t matter that I needed space when I came back. It didn’t matter that I wanted nothing to do with the whole Parker family. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t even look at Kai without remembering how he shot me with a damn arrow….all that mattered was that I go back to being the Bonnie that pushed aside her feelings in order to get the job done. And I did that. So everybody could be safe, happy, and get on with their lives.”

“I’m sorr-“

“Don’t. You had just lost your mom Care…I know turning it off must have been tempting as hell, but you didn’t and through all that, you still had my back.” She winds an arm around Caroline’s waist and squeezes.

“Yes, I lost my mom….but you had your whole family obliterated by this supernatural stuff and you never did, wait-” She pauses, “Can witches turn off their emotions? Is there a spell for that?”

Bonnie snorts, “God I hope not, with the way I’ve felt over the years…..it would not have been pretty. It’s not like I minded in that particular case.” She resumed their earlier conversation, “I was happy to help Jo and Ric’s babies. Oh, and added bonus? It got rid of most of the magic I absorbed from Quetsiyah’s rock. It was just the expectation that “of course Bonnie would do it” that got to me.”

“If it makes you feel any better, Kai did suggest that we waited until you had gotten used to being back home again. I think the merge with Luke really did change him-“She’s cut off by Bonnie’s sharp laugh.

“It didn’t change him, not completely, he can still be cruel and vindictive. It’s just now instead of only indifference, he actually feels the spectrum of emotions now.”

“Okay, and? That is a hell of a lot more that some of the humans that we interact with. So how did he go from “don’t ever mention his name” to “yeah, I accepted a position in his coven”? 

“It’s not an official position-“

“Bonnie!”

“Okay, nosy.” She took a deep breath, “we had no business being around each other after I got back. He had just merged with Luke and was dealing with that, and all I wanted to do was try to pick myself up and rebuild some semblance of a life. But I couldn’t, because every single time I turned around, he was there. Wanting to apologize, wanting me to forgive him, and I didn’t want to.”

Caroline’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “You didn’t want to forgive him, like ever?”

“Nope.” Bonnie replied, popping the P. “I wanted him to burn in hell, I was that angry. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? He got what he wanted; out of the prison world, leader of his coven, his dad and the elders were running scared. So why was he still here? That night, when I did the spell to hide the babies siphoning abilities? He tried to apologize again, I told him that I wished Luke had won instead, his coven would be better off without a kiddie killing monster as its leader.”

“Oh my god.” Caroline’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, that about sums it up. I was miserable with no outlet and I wanted him to be that sociopath so I could let go and get rid of all the anger that was in me. But he didn’t take the bait, he just looked at me like I was some….thing that he couldn’t figure out. Then he tells me that he’s leaving in the morning, going back to Portland to rule over his coven and he hopes that I find an appropriate outlet for all that misplaced anger that I was shooting his way.” 

“Misplaced?” Caroline echoed.

“Yeah exactly what I thought! I had plenty of reasons to be pissed at him! What does this prick, whose emotions are still so new that they still have the wrapping attached, know about me? That’s partly why I didn’t want anyone to mention him, that conversation kept running around in my head.”

“That’s when you decided to leave?”

“That’s when the idea was planted, but I didn’t act on it until I almost died again, and decided screw this. I’m not dying without seeing the world, so I started with some of my Grams’ contacts and went from there. I loved traveling from place to place, being around actual covens! It was great. Until I ran into Kai when I was in Switzerland.”

“You never told me that!” Caroline shrieked, “Did you two…?”

“No! God no. We talked, that’s all. His emotions were more stable, and I had been away from Mystic Falls for a bit so I wasn’t as angry. We came to an agreement and went our separate ways.” Bonnie shrugged, “We barely talk, I normally speak to Liv, if we do it’s by accident and not for long.”

“Well that’s too bad.” Returning to her pile of dresses, Caroline resumes sorting.

“Excuse you?” That is not what she said, Bonnie was sure of it.

“Bonnie, that boy wanted your witchy ass, we all saw it. And I know you, you felt something, so at the very least, hate-sex should have been on the table……or against the wall………or-“

“Caroline!”

“What? Do I need to remind you of the skeletons in my closet? Or Elena’s? C’mon and join the “questionable choices” club. We have cookies.” She’s outright grinning now.

Bonnie rolls her eyes, “Pass. Geez, what is going on? Is there a “Get Bonnie Laid” masterplan that I’m unaware of? Have you been talking to Jo?”

Caroline looks up excitedly, “Jo is trying to hook you up too? We have to find you the perfect dress, then. As a Bennett, all eyes will be on you anyway, let’s show them how we do it in Mystic Falls.” She returns to her mound of dresses which seems to have grown in the past two minutes.


	5. Chapter 5

"Come with me."

"No. "

"Please?"

"No way in Hell."

"Pretty please?" At this, Bonnie threw herself on Matt's back and held on for dear life.

Matt took it in stride, wrapping her legs around his waist and continued inspecting the bushels of grapes before him. "No." He held a particularly plump green grape close to Bonnie's mouth for tasting.

"Mmmm, not ripe enough yet." She finished chewing and resumed her begging. "Please Matty? Okay, how about this, I'll let you have total control over this year's tastings. All vendors and picks will be chosen by you, plus you'll have full veto over the guest list."

Matt paused, and Bonnie was about to whoop with joy, but he quickly dashed that when he deposited her on the nearest surface, detangled her from his body, turned to look her in the eyes and replied, "No."

"Ugh, what's the point of having a male best friend if he won't pretend to be your date every now and then?" Bonnie cried.

"C'mon Bon, this isn't a normal situation and you know it. I would totally help out if it were some boring work event, I want nothing to do with whatever witch thing is going on. It feels like a set-up…or trap, whichever one works for you." Matt replied.

"I know it does! That's why I want people on my side. Care can't go, cause duh, vampire. Tyler is going with Liv-"Matt looked surprised at this new information.

"Tylers going? Man, someone's whipped." He laughed. "So I want someone there I can talk to and hang out with." Bonnie added.

"Isn't this like the witch prom or something like that? There'll be plenty of people to talk to, Bon. Plenty of guys." Matt leered in Bonnie's direction while wagging his eyebrows up and down.

"Okay first of all, don't do that ever again. It's just wrong. Second, I'm not going there to meet anybody, this is strictly to get Joshua and the rest of the Gemini off my back and convince them I didn't mean to ignore their prior invitation." Bonnie explained.

"Even though you totally did." Matt interjected. "Yeah but they don't have to know that." Bonnie shot back. "Plus, I don't know, I feel like people only want to talk to a "Bennett" witch and not Bonnie. They want my power, they don't really want me." Bonnie finished in a low tone.

Shortly after surprising her with his arrival, Matt and Bonnie had gotten rip roaringly drunk and bared their souls. Matt talked about how he was pretty much invisible and felt useless and inefficient as the lone human in their little gang. How he wasn't sure of his place in Mystic Falls anymore, and since he had nothing tethering him to that place, decided to leave. He had shocked Bonnie by admitting that at one point he thought about having himself turned, reasoning that at least he'd be somewhat useful in a fight.

Bonnie knew that Matt tended to either get tossed to the sidelines when things went down, or caught in the crossfire. She knew she herself was also guilty of not thinking through the ramifications of their groups' actions and how it would impact the town as a whole until it was too late. The thought that Matt had once debated turning himself into a vampire hit her hard.

Bonnie had talked about how she felt like she was nothing more than a tool or weapon to be wielded for others' use. How she really never got to ease in and have fun with her magic, she just went straight into fighting and saving mode, and how she felt as if that was the only way to keep those around her was to basically buy their love with her magic.

They both admitted to feeling anger that each felt had to be repressed. In Matt's case his anger that his sister was turned, then killed, and nobody cared. Anger that his contributions or efforts to help were usually rebuffed above all the way he was talked down to, as if because he was only human, he was nothing.

In Bonnies' case her anger that her Grams died for a woman that wasn't where she was supposed to be. Anger that her mother was turned, anger that she couldn't voice that anger without it sounding as if she wished one of her best friends had died instead. Anger that for all they went through to keep said best friend from dying, it still ended up happening!

By the end of the night, they were both absolutely hammered, but felt closer than they had been in years. Because of that, she felt no hesitation or embarrassment in relaying to Matt that she was unsure if the coven wanted her or her magic.

"Then they're the biggest assholes in the world Bon, because you're pretty damn special...I seem to recall some pretty heroic lifeguarding pre-witch era." Matt winked in her direction. He half turned to resume inspecting his bushels, but stopped mid-way, "What about Jer? I just got off the phone with him earlier, he's just finishing up in Spokane, he could meet you there."

Bonnie shook her head, "Pass, I don't think his girlfriend is as accepting as she likes to pretend, so I'm going to leave that alone." She shot a smile at him, "Speaking of girlfriends-"

"Oh God." Matt groaned and walked away, but Bonnie followed determinedly, "How is Mariah hm? You two have been going strong for a year already. Thinking of anything permanent?" She continued teasing him out into the bright Arizona sunshine. Matt had met Mariah at one of the Vineyards tastings and the two had been inseparable since. Long brown hair, whiskey brown eyes, and a laugh that was infectious, poor little Matt had fallen hard. The best thing was that she didn't need to be protected from the supernatural, Mariah was a wolf. She belonged to the pack that lived in the area, so there were no secrets between the two lovebirds.

Matt had been skeptical of getting involved with Mariah at first, citing all the craziness of Mystic Falls, but in time came to see how much better organized and prepared the wolf pack was in comparison to their normal 'throw something in the air and hope it sticks' method of handling threats. The wolf pack accepted him with open arms, and Bonnie was almost certain that Matt was nearing the 'buy a ring' stage. It didn't mean she couldn't tease him about it, though.

 

*********************************************

 

"I think I'll put the Sexton's with the Bullocks, Lord knows no other coven wants to be near them." Jo muttered under her breath. Alaric looked up from grading papers, "Were you talking to me?" "No just thinking out loud. I'm in charge of the seating and it's a logistical nightmare." Jo recalled assisting her mother do the very same task, all those years ago and thought she was making a big deal out of a few place settings, apparently Jo knew nothing. "Dad suddenly had something important come up and couldn't finish the chart, so he put me and Liv in charge."

Liv snorted, barely looking up from her phone. "It's almost like he wants this thing to get jacked up. I don't care, I'm just making sure I'm not next to the Fullers. They have this ongoing beef with their area wolves and with me bringing Tyler-"

"Tyler's coming? Somebody's whipped." Alaric snickered.

"Yes, he's coming, don't know why you're laughing. Only reason you're even invited is because you helped make the "miracle twins". Liv replied, still distracted by her phone.

Jo sighed, "You're supposed to be helping me, not sexting Tyler. Save it for the show you give him on webcam tonight."

"For your information, it's not Tyler, and you need to start knocking before you enter a person's room." Liv bit back.

"I knocked!"

"WAIT until they tell you to come in!"

Jo shrugged "Not my fault you didn't lock the door. Although I must say, damn Tyler."

Alaric cleared his throat, still focused on his papers. "Still sitting here."

"Yes, and?" Liv barely glanced in his direction. "It's not Tyler, it's Caroline. She's trying to get Bonnie to pick out a dress."

"Bonnie's coming?" That got his attention.

"Not if she doesn't pick a dress, she's not." Liv snapped.

"Is that a good idea? I mean, wouldn't it be best if she didn't tip off anyone that she has ties to the Gemini Coven? And by anyone I mean your dad, you know he's been trying to get her here for the longest time. He wants the Bennett-Parker alliance re-established." Alaric pressed.

"It would look weird if she didn't come, seeing as she's been on a mission to visit so many other covens. We go back a millennia at least and her family and ours have been strong allies in the past, so the fact that she "skipped" us would look bad on her." Jo explained patiently. "Nobody, especially Joshua will know that she's been here before."

"But that's what I talking about." Alaric turned to face Jo head on. "Don't all first timers do that one drop blood thing and the Gemini spirits have to accept or deny them? Since this is a Bennett, you know the council will make a big deal out of it, so-"

Liv cut in. "What? Do you think we're amateurs? We've got that covered, so relax already."

"Sorry, it's just Bonnie's done a lot for us, for me. I haven't done a good enough job in the past of saying thanks, or sticking up for her when I could have. And while I'm ashamed to admit it, it didn't even register until I imagined how I would like it if someone treated my girls that way. I want to do good by her." He emphasized.

Jo reached over to kiss his cheek, "I love that about you, and we will take care of her." She rubbed his back. "I promise."

"Take care of her by making sure she gets some," Liv tried to interject some humor back into the conversation. Jo pulled back and regarded the seating chart again, this time with a sly smirk.

"Yes, it's time for Bonnie Bennett to show the magic world what she is working with. There are going to be so many eligible bachelors at this thing, Bonnie is going to have her pick."

As the two bickered and plotted, Alaric wondered if he could slip away to discreetly warn Bonnie, and advise her to bring Matt as her date to thwart any errant match making.


	6. Chapter 6

“Breathe Bonnie.”  
The reminder did nothing to ease the tightness in her chest. Passing the gates to what was the Gemini compound, her hands were damp and her heart felt like it would beat right out of her chest. The two times she had been here before were under the cover of night and while most of the members were away. This time it was damn near high noon and there were people everywhere. 

Since Bonnie came alone she was staying in one of the many rooms available in the main section of the compound. Various families were spread across the ground in guest villas. Even more were ensconced in hotel rooms scattered across Portland. Bonnie would have gladly stayed with Jo and Alaric, but general courtesy dictated she stay in the abode provided for her. 

Witches were mingling all around her and although she had seen some of the people she met during her traveling days, she wasn’t close to anyone in particular. All Bonnie wanted to do was wade through the crowd and head to her room for some much needed peace and quiet. She made her way to the entrance and stopped short when a hand reached out and gently guided her to the side. Bonnie looked at the hand on her arm and followed it up to meet the shifty eyes of Joshua Parker.

“Forgive me, but you looked a little lost. I know which room you’re in, Jo and Liv picked it out especially for you.” As he talked he steered her towards the double doors that led inside the massive structure. “I’m not sure how much you know about Gemini lore, but this land has been in our coven for generations. A millennia of protection and defensive spells are so woven into the land, that I don’t think we could move if we tried.” He let out a brief chuckle. “Much like the Bennett land in Mystic Falls, if I’m not mistaken.” 

Bonnie’s internal danger flag that was just casually waving, jumped right up to the top of the flagpole with that statement. ‘What the hell…’ she thought to herself. But before she could reply, they had arrived at the doors.

“I’m sure you’ve been told what to do, it’s just a drop of blood then we can be on our way.” Joshua is nudging her over to the small fountain that serves as the receptacle. Since almost all of the people attending the ball have been there before, save a few that have recently come of age, Bonnie was the lone witch standing there. The fact that a Bennett witch was making the offering spread through the crowd and before she knew it there were a number of people gathering to watch. ‘Gawk much?’ Bonnie thought to herself. Just before she reached the fountain she heard a new voice.

“Come on pops, you know the head of the coven needs to be the one to oversee all newcomers.” Kai stepped out a side door that Bonnie hadn’t even noticed was there.

“I’m sorry Malachai, It must have slipped my mind.” He turned to Bonnie appearing almost apologetic, “I’ve been doing this for so long, it just became like second nature to me.” He stepped back to let Kai stand beside her. 

“Wow that was a dig, if I ever hear one.” Bonnie spoke low and only out of one side of her mouth.

“It’s what he does best. You good?” 

“Yeah, let’s do this already.” Kai produced a pin from seemingly nowhere, and Bonnie made sure to hold her hand out so it was visible. A quick prick and as the droplet of blood fell, she mentally prayed that their careful planning didn’t go to waste. As soon as the blood hit water, there was a sizzle, then a flash of light and Bonnie felt as if a blanket were enveloping her. This was the part that took her by surprise on her first visit and she tried to mimic those emotions. Kai had explained later that was the Gemini way of saying ‘welcome’. 

Of course she asked what happened if no passage was granted, but he just smirked and told her not to worry. 

The double doors opened to a smattering of applause from the bystanders. ‘Okay show’s over folks, no sacrifices to be made at the moment.” Kai called out, effectively disbursing the crowd. Joshua stepped forward to take her bags, “I’ll show you to your-.”

Kai cut him off. “Actually the Marshall’s are here and they have questions about their seating, and since you’re in charge, I figure I’ll let you handle that.” Father and son held each other’s’ gaze for an intense minute before Joshua looked to Bonnie and smiled. “Duty calls, I’ll chat with you later Ms. Bennett.” 

“What the hell was that?” Bonnie hissed once they were making their way up the stairs to her room. Kai shrugged, “Don’t know, don’t care. Here we go.” He stopped in front of a door that was tucked away in an alcove. “Go on in, and make sure there’s nothing hiding under the bed or in the closet.”

Bonnie paused over the threshold, “Did you put something under my bed or in the closet?” She took her bags from Kai and slung them on the bed to unpack later and looked around the room. It had a beautiful canopy bed that looked like it was very comfortable, along with a dresser and two nightstands all looked to be made out of cherry wood. 

She turned back to face Kai, realizing that this was the first time they’d been alone in a while. He looked much the same, bulkier in the shoulders, but still slender with laughing blue eyes and messy hair. 

Bonnie broke the silence, “Thanks for the help, with you know, the blood and all.” It had been Kai’s suggestion to use Lucy’s blood as an offering. It was still Bennett blood, and Lucy confirmed she had never been to visit the Gemini, so no one would be the wiser.

“Sure.” He stayed in the doorway looking at her as if he had more to say, but his name was called and the moment was gone. He gave her a half smile, “Duty calls” and disappeared into the hallway. Bonnie closed the door and leaned against it heavily.

Kai Parker had always managed to elicit a reaction in Bonnie. At first she chalked it down to relief that she and Damon weren’t the only ones in a completely deserted world, but soon it became clear that it was more than that. Learning that he killed half his family in an attempt to force the merge had put him in the ‘looks damn fine, but crazier than a bag of cats’ category. She was fine with leaving him there until the merge with Luke happened, and he went above and beyond to help get her out of the prison world. 

Bonnie would be the first to admit that she gave no thought to having a friendly sit down with Kai when she got out. Why should she? He had choked, drugged, and stabbed her! He could die in a fire for all she was concerned, and the more people kept telling her how much he had changed, the more she wanted him to suffer. It wasn’t until they met up again in Switzerland, and she had shed much of her anger and frustration, that she was able to speak to him rationally. 

He apologized again, and likened it to being a vampire with its switch off. “That’s something you’re familiar with.” He’d said, daring her to say otherwise. When put that way, Bonnie could see the reasoning, but she wondered now as she did then if her willingness to believe him was because her feelings were changing and admitting she felt anything other than revulsion for him made her the very type of hypocrite she used to (silently) judge both Elena and Caroline for. 

Bonnie scoffed at herself and went to unpack, it didn’t matter in the long run. Kai was finally head of his coven, something he’d literally killed to get, and Bonnie was sure he had plenty of company of the female variety. Besides she was only here for the weekend, it didn’t matter to her what Kai did when she wasn’t here.

There was a knock on her door, then an explosion of blond curls as Liv barreled in. “Oh good you’re here.” She shut the door and dove onto the bed, exhaling loudly. “Jo is driving me crazy, I will be so happy when this whole thing is over.” 

“Come in, make yourself comfortable Liv.” Bonnie stowed her suitcase in the closet and went to hang up her dress. Liv perked up at the sight of the garment bag. “What dress did you pick?” 

Bonnie rolled her eyes, “Please, like blonde number one didn’t tell you.” 

“No, she said it was a good pick though, now I’m curious-wait why is she number one?” Liv asked.

I’ve known her longer.” Bonnie explained.

“Fair enough. Come on, I can’t stay in here, it’s the first place Jo will look for me. I’m appointing myself the official Bonnie Bennett tour guide.”

“I’ve been here before.” Bonnie remarked dryly, following Liv out the door.

“Yeah, at night. Now it’s the middle of the day and you can take your time looking around.” Bonnie threw Liv a side eye, “Why are you being so nice? What’s going on?”

“Anybody ever tell you you’re extremely paranoid, Bennett? Let loose, have a little fun. This is supposed to be fun.” Liv stressed. “Now, let’s go introduce you to some eligible men!”

 

“Goddammit, Liv.”


	7. Chapter 7

Liv led Bonnie on an impromptu tour of the Gemini compound, stopping every so often to make some snarky comment on the architecture or the history of the place.

“Why are you even showing me around if you’re just gonna be all salty?” Bonnie asked. Liv shrugged, “I needed to get away from Jo and the whole planning committee, duh. Now pay attention, this is where-hey!” Jo swooped in from nowhere and grabbed Liv by the arm.

“You are supposed to be helping set up the dais and ensuring that each table is positioned correctly for the welcoming ceremony. Move your ass, or I swear you will wake up bald!” Jo leaned in menacingly, “I don’t have my magic, so I’ll have to do it the old fashioned way. Do not test me Olivia.” 

For once Liv had nothing smart to say, simply turning to Bonnie and giving a wave before she left. Jo followed closely behind her and Bonnie could hear Jo reading Liv the riot act.

“Kind of makes you glad you’re an only child, no?” The question comes from her left side. 

“I don’t know about that, I think one sibling would have been great.” She finds herself looking in to the smiling eyes of Vincent Griffin, current Regent of the Nine Covens in New Orleans.

She launches herself at him, happy to see someone that she not only knows, but trusts as well. “I didn’t know you were coming!” He swings her around once and puts her back on the ground, “I didn’t know either.” He responded dryly. “Just needed to get out of town for a while.” 

Bonnie laced her arm through his and started to lead him towards the meticulously kept gardens, hoping to find a private spot to talk. “Our favorite original family not behaving themselves?” She questioned lightly.

Truth was, Bonnie didn’t really give a crap what the Mikealsons were up to, as long as they stayed far away from her. During her years traveling from coven to coven, Bonnie managed to stop in New Orleans one time. She fell in love with the city, the magic in the air calling to the magic running through her veins, and it made her feel energized. Briefly she considered settling there, but the fact that the original family had made it their home quickly rendered that idea moot. 

So she met with the Regent himself, and visited the nine covens individually, knowing for certain the entire time she was there, eyes were following her every move. She knew her presence in the quarter especially would raise eyebrows, so she decided to face the music head on. While returning from visiting the witches in the 9th ward, she purposefully slowed her steps and eventually stopped. 

*********  
“It’s a little unnerving to have you acting as my shadow, wouldn’t you rather walk with me, than behind me?” Bonnie asked

“My apologies, Ms. Bennett.” Came the smooth voice, “My intent was not to frighten you, I was merely making sure you arrived back to your hotel safely.” He stepped forward and slid a hand into his pocket. Bonnie let her eyes take in the well-dressed original, Lord knows Elijah Mikealson could wear a suit like nobody’s business, but Bonne also knew firsthand how ruthless he could be when he felt threatened. 

“Thank you for your consideration, but I’m fine. Not exactly a newbie witch anymore.” Bonnie made sure to keep eye contact. He let a sliver of a smile shine through. “Yes, it’s not gone unnoticed that you’ve been making quite the name for yourself.” He gestured for her to resume her walk and fell into step beside her. The entire walk was spent on small talk, by the time they reached the little bed and breakfast that Bonnie was staying in she was more than ready to say goodbye. 

*********

Bonnie was brought back to the present by Vincent laughing, “When do they ever behave themselves? I’d be concerned if everyone started getting along.” Bonnie took a minute to look at Vincent and once again wished she felt something more than friendship for him. With cheekbones that could cut glass, a smile to die for, and an overall charm that Bonnie would be hard pressed to find anywhere else, Vincent was perfect…on paper. Both privately lamented how much easier their lives would be if they had fallen for each other.

“So really, why are you here?” Bonnie asked. “This doesn’t seem like your thing.”

“Oh it’s not, but when the leader of a coven personally extends an invitation, it would be rude to refuse.” He raises an eyebrow in her direction, “Correct?” Bonnie groaned, “He got you too? I swear, I don’t know what’s going on with Joshua Parker but-“

“No baby girl.” Vincent cut her off, “Not Joshua, I’m talking about his successor, the same man that’s been watching you ever since we started talking.” Bonnie’s head snapped up to meet his gaze, “What are you-why would Kai be watching us?”

“Not us, you.” Vincent peered at her, “What’s the story there?”

Bonnie exhaled, “You know the story. Damon and I died, went to his world, stuff happened, blah blah blah.” She started walking faster. “Oh no you don’t.” Vincent grabbed her arm to slow her down, “Obviously there’s more to the story, otherwise he wouldn’t be looking at me, wishing I was six feet under.”

“He is not, you’re exaggerating” Bonnie turns to the house and sure enough Kai is standing on one of the balconies overlooking the garden where she and Vincent have strayed. He is surrounded by a group of people vying for his attention, but his gaze is fixed on her. Even from a distance she can tell his fist is clenched. He looks pissed, and Bonnie wishes she could tell him he’s got nothing to worry about, that Vincent is not what she wants. Their gazes stay locked on each other until her line of sight is blocked by a tall brunette in a little black dress that seems more suited for the club. Bonnie frowns and turns back to see Vincent watching her closely. “Okay, we have to talk.”

Bonnie nods dejectedly, “Yeah we gotta talk, come on.” 

 

 

Kai watches as Bonnie leads the current Regent of the New Orleans covens deeper into the gardens. He knows Bonnie had stopped in New Orleans, but was unaware that she had formed such a tight bond with the man. 

‘Look how close they are’ his traitorous mind whispered, ‘I bet he didn’t kill half his family’ it continued. Kai’s hand tightened around his glass until he felt it crack, causing his drink to spill onto his hand.

“Oh here, let me get you another glass.” The shards of the broken glass instantly disappeared and before he knew it, a fresh drink was in his hand. “Is there anything else I can get for you?” The brunette asked Kai, making sure to let her fingers linger after she handed him his new drink.

Kai regarded her as he took a drink, she was cute and a decent witch, he could do worse, but he simply wasn’t interested. Before he could dismiss her, he noticed his father making a beeline towards him.

“Hello Jessica, lovely to see you again. Would you please excuse us? I have some matters I need to discuss with my son.” Without waiting for an answer he steered Kai into an empty room.

“Well that was rude, you could have just blown my chances at making a real love connection.” Kai protested. Joshua barely spared him a glance, “Oh please Malachai, that girl can barely cast a hex without needing help from her coven. Unlike a certain young lady who is currently coven-less, and has all that power just sitting there untapped.” He moved closer and Kai noticed the scheming gleam in his eyes. “A Bennett-Parker union would not only endure she’s protected-“ 

Kai gave a short laugh, “Like you give a shit if she’s protected, you just want access to all that Bennett magic she’s got flowing through her veins. All the grimoires that you can’t even touch without a Bennett to give you access.” 

Joshua scoffed, “Yes I won’t deny that her power is….alluring. But I also think she’d be a good addition to the Gemini.” He paused and looked at Kai with a sly smirk, “Don’t tell me that the idea hasn’t crossed your mind, Malachai. I have eyes, and it’s not as if either of you are subtle.”

He stepped into Joshua’s personal space, “I know you’re planning something, but let me be clear. Bonnie Bennett is off limits. Whatever is running through your head, forget it. I won’t drag her into our craziness, she’s got enough of her own to deal with.” 

Joshua smiled and held out his hands in a placating manner. “I’m just merely looking out for the good of the coven. It would be a shame to have her attach herself to anyone lesser……..say a certain Regent down in New Orleans.” With that he left Kai alone to his thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8

Bonnie returned to her room no closer to sorting out her feelings, but knowing that she wasn’t the only one suffering from an inconvenient crush (she refused to call it anything else). Vincent had admitted to falling for the eldest Mikealson sibling, Freya. She wished him well, because dealing with that family in any capacity was………draining.

Bonnie was weighing the pros and cons of hiding away in her room and making use of the garden tub in her bathroom when there was a knock on her door. “Bonnie?” She mentally waved goodbye to her relaxing bath and pasted on a polite smile that dropped as soon as she opened the door. Bonnie had always thought it was odd that even though in the beginning she didn’t want to be around him, her magic felt differently. It reached out to him whether she wanted it to or not, and it took a concerted effort to keep it coiled while in his presence.

“Can I come in?” Bonnie nodded and let him in, noting how agitated he seemed. “Wanna sit?” She offered. 

“You need to leave.” The words came out fast like he couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Joshua is planning something and I don’t want you in the middle of it.” Bonnie sighed and sat heavily on the bed, “Figures. I guess it would be too much to ask for a normal-ish weekend of partying.” She looked at Kai, “Do you know what it could be? Are the twins in trouble?”

“I don’t think so, he’d never risk anything happening to them and prolonging my reign. His focus seems to be on you.” Bonnie nodded, “I got that feeling too. Is there anything interesting I should know about any past Bennett-Parker alliances as far as the Gemini go?” 

Kai takes a seat at the desk, “In the past whenever one of the Gemini aligned themselves with a Bennet, their magic would exponentially increase. The Bennett line is one of the oldest and most powerful, which is why they usually don’t even bother to form a coven, they don’t need to draw on other members for power. The magic that they bring with them always benefits whatever coven they join.”

“When you say aligned?” Bonnie led, knowing the answer, but needing him to state it. “Marriage.” He met her eyes briefly before looking away. “Not recently, of course.” 

“Of course.” Bonnie echoed, mind whirling in a dozen different directions. “Earlier, when I was speaking with Joshua, he mentioned something about how powerful the land here is and about generations of protective and defensive spells...” 

Kai tilted his head, “Yeah this land has been the seat of Gemini power for pretty much as long as the coven has existed. Each leader makes sure to cast their own brand of protection over it. It would make sense for all that magic to settle in the ground.” He furrows his brow, “But why would be tell you that?”

“He also mentioned Bennett land must have the same spells woven in, due to us having settled there for so long.” Bonnie knew there was something that she was missing, but couldn’t put her finger on it just yet. “I’m not leaving.” Kai gave a small laugh, “Yeah I didn’t think you would, just thought I’d try.” 

“I didn’t realize you knew the Regent of the nine covens that well.” Kai wanted to magically seal his lips shut, but his control over his emotions only extended so far, and jealousy was one that almost always took him off guard. Bonnie’s face lit up at the mention of her friend, and he groaned to himself.

“Vincent? When I was in New Orleans, he took me around and introduced me to so many people. Oh, and the food! You would love the food, if you haven’t been, you should definitely go.” Bonnie gushed. “Hey maybe if this weekend doesn’t end horribly we can talk to Vincent about arranging a visit-“Kai cut her off with a curt “No thanks.” The very last thing he wanted to do was spend time with the man who Bonnie was clearly enamored with.

“Okay, it was just a suggestion, I thought it might be up your alley.” Bonnie visibly deflated, and Kai felt the familiar emotion of guilt wash over him. “I mean, it would be great, just not right now, you know I’m always on the lookout for good food.” He joked. 

The atmosphere in the room was thick with things that neither would say out loud, but Kai noted that Bonnie didn’t show any signs of asking him to leave. When she first returned from 1994, being anywhere near him was too much to ask for, but the fact that they could sit (even in silence) in the same room spoke volumes about how far they had come. When they had met up again in Switzerland, Bonnie had said that she needed time to come to terms with everything that had happened between them, and Kai guessed that was true.

Surprisingly it was Bonnie that broke the silence. “Well if you can’t make it out to New Orleans, maybe you can come to Arizona?” Bonnie fixed her eyes on the bedspread, plucking at a loose thread. “I didn’t get to spend much time with the covens due to the Mikealson’s lurking around every corner, so I’m having a New Orleans food and wine tasting next month.” She snuck a look at him and shrugged a shoulder, “All the food and fun of New Orleans, none of the vampire drama.” 

Kai sat speechless, it was a well-known fact that Bonnie liked to keep her magic world separate from her “day job” of running her winery. She traveled to other covens, rarely did anyone get an invite to her home in Sedona. “If you’re interested, that is, I mean you probably have tons of other things going on.” Bonnie took his silence as reluctance and wanted to sink through the floor.

“No! I mean, I’d love to.” He said, the smile coming to his face unbidden. He leaned back in his chair, “Wow, I finally get to see the inner workings of LBD? Love the name, by the way.”

Bonnie laughed. “Hey, we couldn’t agree on anything! Combining the initials of our last names was the easiest thing we could think of, I’m just glad it worked out into something usable.” She sobered and regarded him, “So you’ll be there? I mean I have to have a head count and Vincent needs to know…” She trailed off at his obvious look of displeasure. “What’s that look for?” 

Kai tried to school his features into nonchalance, “Nothing. So is there anything I should bring?” He tried to change the subject, but Bonnie wasn’t having it. “What is your issue with Vincent? I know you were giving him the eye earlier, why?”

‘Good going Kai, now she’s in defend friend mode’, he thought to himself. Having personal experience at how far Bonnie would go to defend her friends, Kai made sure to watch his next words. “I don’t have an issue with him, seems like a good guy.”

“But….” Bonnie pressed. 

“But if you’re staying out of vampire business, then he is the wrong guy to get involved with. There is nothing but trouble all around him, not to mention you keep mentioning staying away from the originals. He’s practically their live in magical butler!” Kai blurted out.

Bonnie’s eyebrows hit her hairline, “Okay, first of all, I am staying out of vampire business, not that I need to explain myself to you. Secondly, get involved with? I’m not “involved” with Vincent. We’re friends, and friends hang out sometimes.” She rolled her eyes and chuckled, “Besides the fact that he’s head over heels for someone else, I have no time to get involved with anybody.”

The tightness in his chest eased, and he let out a fake laugh, “I know what you mean.”

“Oh, you mean the Gemini aren’t lining up their best prospects to present to their esteemed leader?” Bonnie teased, ignoring the ache at the thought. Was the brunette one of them, one of the girls chosen to co-lead the coven? Bonnie never thought she was the jealous type, but the idea of Kai with someone else….well, Bonnie didn’t like that at all. 

“No, they haven’t. Leader or not, I’m still the kid who offed half his family and got sent away for damn near 20 years. The people that were here before don’t really see me as ‘ideal husband material’, and I can’t exactly blame them.”

“But you’ll have to get married eventually, right? You have to produce heirs so the merge can happen.” Bonnie had always been curious about the whole merge ceremony. How could parents who raised children for 22 years be okay with sentencing one to live with the others’ essential death. 

Kai shook his head, “No I don’t have to. Jo took care of that, she’s still a member of the ruling family so if I don’t have kids, her girls will be on the hook.”

“Oh.” Bonnie hesitated, then decided to go for it. “Have you ever thought about it? Having kids, I mean?”

Kai opened and closed his mouth a few times before shrugging, “I guess. Before…before that night, I figured it was just one of those things that when the time came, I’d do my duty. There was no emotional aspect to it, it just was.” He looked frustrated trying to articulate his thoughts.

“And now?”

“Now, I see how Jo and Ric are with the girls and I think it would be……..nice.” He stared off into space with a faraway look on his face. 

The harsh ring of Bonnie’s phone broke the moment and Bonnie wanted to curse whoever it was calling. Kai stood and moved towards the door, “Um, I’ll see you around.” He fled the room, and Bonnie had to take a moment to center herself before she answered the phone. “Hey Care. What? No, I haven’t met anyone yet!”


	9. Chapter 9

Bonnie was hesitating outside of the double doors that served as the entrance to the ballroom and smoothed down her dress. Although tonight was only the precursor to the main event, and thus more low-key, she still felt anxious and she knew it showed in her demeanor. According to Caroline, the calf length midnight blue strappy cocktail dress was ‘dressy, but still casual enough for a night of free flowing alcohol, endless small talk-‘

‘And if necessary free enough to haul ass if this thing goes sideways.’ Bonnie had deadpanned. Caroline had rolled her eyes and started lecturing Bonnie about not even trying to have a good time. 

“I’m going to try Care, but come on. You know as well as I do that I…WE don’t have the best of luck with formal events. If Matt ever does tie the knot, we’ll have to watch him recite his vows over Skype!”

Caroline had paused in flitting over Bonnie and nodded once, “Okay, point. But at least try?”

And so Bonnie was standing just outside the entrance, mentally going over the proper protocol for the evening. The Gemini, as well as the magic community as a whole, placed a lot of value on ancestry and how powerful a family lineage was a result. So there was a greeting order that had been drilled into Bonnie after she had made an unintentional faux pas of sort. 

Bonnie felt a nudge to her side, “You gonna stand there all night, BB?” 

“Oh, sorry.” Bonnie moved to the side before what he called her clicked in her mind. The deep voice belonged to a witch around her age whom Bonnie had met when she stayed in Nova Scotia. He rocked back on his heels, his long hair that he normally wore braided was swaying free in the breeze, while his brown eyes lit up and a laugh escaped when he saw her eyes narrow. “Martin.” Bonnie’s eyes rolled at the nickname he had given her. 

Martin Balledeaux was a member of the Waycobah First Nation tribe that settled in Nova Scotia in the 1800’s, and much like the Bennett line, power was carried down from mother to daughter. According to one of the elder women, Abby used to get crippling magic blocks all the time and Shelia would bring her up to get more in touch with her spiritual side. Martins’ grandmother Nanette, a spry woman of indeterminable age, was currently the matriarch of their coven. Aside from helping her become more at ease with magic, she was also one of the first people to sit with Bonnie and answer questions about magic and cove rules. As an added bonus, the woman also had the best stories of her grandmother in her youth. 

Bonnie sighed, “How many times have I told you to not call me that?” She perked up, “Are we all sitting together?” She truly hoped so, then it would make the greeting process a lot smoother, no outraged covens acting scandalized due to Bonnie’s “horrifying ignorance of magic protocol.” Martin laughed again and nodded. “Yeah, I guess they didn’t want any more missteps.” Even though he didn’t do them, Bonnie could imagine the air quotes. “You inadvertently offend ONE old man, and nobody ever lets you forget it.” She grumbled under her breath. “Okay, let’s go in and get this over with.” Martin held out his arm for Bonnie to take and together they entered the room. 

Right away Bonnie could feel the magic that was swirling in the air, some witches preferring to broadcast in order to make themselves feel more powerful. Bonnie, on the other hand, was naturally reserved and kept hers tight to her person. Besides, she theorized, her name and all that she accomplished thus far speaks for herself. One particular thread of magic seemed to circle around her and Martin before being recalled to its owner. She felt Martin stiffen for a second before relaxing, leaning over to murmur, “It looks like someone is feeling himself tonight.” He and Bonnie look over to the owner of said magic Theodore Neville and his followers. 

Theodore was a member of an older established coven that Bonnie had had the unfortunate luck to run into during her travels. Their lineage went back for centuries, but not as long as the Gemini, nor were they as powerful as the Bennetts. Theodore was actively looking to change that fact by being the first generation to inter-marry with a Bennett. 

Unfortunately for him (fortunately for Bonnie) he was a grade A asshole who looked down on other covens that hadn’t been around as long as his. Not to mention he was adamantly against witches mixing with any other species. The entire time Bonnie stayed with his coven, he railed against vampires, werewolves, and any other creature that wasn’t a witch. Bonnie never wanted to leave a place more, but he did inadvertently kick start the reconciliation process with Elena and Caroline. 

Bonnie shrugged, bringing herself back to the present. “If he wants to hate, let him hate. I’ve handled worse than a grown ass man who sees me only as an incubator for his devil spawn. As long as he acts like a damn adult, we won’t have a problem.”

The two made their way from table to table, exchanging greetings and well wishes. Somewhere in the crush of people Bonnie had gotten separated from Martin and somehow ended up in the very position that she wanted to avoid.

“Blessings be upon you and your coven, Miss Bennett.” Theodore’s voice was dripping with disdain, and Bonnie took a small sense of pleasure knowing he had to approach her, rather than the other way around. “Thank you Mr. Neville, and the same to you. I don’t see your Uncle, are you representing your coven tonight?”

“Yes, Uncle is feeling ill and as his heir apparent, I of course stepped in. One of the benefits of belonging to a coven, you see.” The jab wasn’t even worth acknowledging, so Bonne brushed it aside and pasted on a fake smile. “I don’t know, I do pretty well with my little rag tag team. I like knowing they have my back because they choose to, not just because we happened to be born in the same coven.” Bonnie watched in satisfaction as his eyes narrowed and an angry flush began to rise from his neck up to the tips of his ears.

“You are a disgrace.” He hissed out, “All that power and it’s wasted on someone like you! You have no idea-.“ He stopped and visibly pulled himself together, Bonnie was taken back, because normally he’d go on and on. She got her answer in the next second when Joshua Parker stepped up beside her.

“Theodore, good to see you. How is your Uncle? I was very sorry to hear of his illness.” Joshua eased into his coven leader alter ego seamlessly. It was obvious that he missed being the leader, and wanted his old position back. Bonnie watched him and Theodore chit chat, they talked as if they were old friends and the uneasy feeling in Bonnie’s gut grew. She resolved to let Kai know to keep an eye on the two.

“I need to speak with Miss. Bennett, excuse us please Theodore.” Joshua turned to Bonnie, “I can escort you to your seat if you wish.” Since Bonnie was more than ready to escape the toxic air surrounding the immediate vicinity, she agreed. Although the very last thing she expected to hear once they were out of earshot was Joshua denigrating their previous company.

“Theodore is a self-absorbed jackass, always has been. His father was much the same way. They both put too much emphasis on themselves individually, and not their coven as a whole.” He glanced down at Bonnie, “Coven and family should always come first, if you remember nothing else, remember that.” He deposited her next to her table and took off, leaving Bonnie bewildered. ‘What the hell was that?’ Bonnie wondered. She looked around and finally spotted Kai, and began to make her way to him. 

She needed someone who was fluent in coven crazy speak.

\-----------------------------------

 

“No Ric, not in there, check the drawers.” Jo called out to her husband. “I can’t check the drawers, they’re locked.” Alaric answered.

“Ahhhhh!” Jo ran her hands through her hair, messing up the beachy soft waves that were painstakingly done only an hour before. “You don’t know how to pick a lock?”

Alaric looked over to his wife in disbelief, “You want me to try and pick a lock in your fathers study? The same man that is so paranoid that he has wards around his bed?” 

“You’re right, we need magic. God, I miss magic somet-LIV!” The blonde was passing by the door and stuck her head in. “You rang?”

“I need magic, open up dad’s dresser. He told me to get the opening invocation and I think it’s in the dresser drawers, but they’re locked.” Jo rambled on, clearly frustrated.

Liv shrugged, “Have him pick the lock.” Alaric looked between Liv and Jo, “So what I’m getting is you both want me to be cursed?” Liv hustled in and made her way to the desk. A few words and the drawers sprang open. She looked up triumphantly, located the scroll, and smirked at the other two. “Anything else you need opened? Pickle jar? DVD case? The box that Jo has your balls stored in?” Alaric rolled his eyes and grabbed for the scroll, but Liv magically floated it to Jo instead, who snatched it out of the air.

“Thank you, but that’s enough Liv. Okay we got it, let’s go.” Jo made to leave but noticed Alaric was looking at something else that fell out of the drawer. “What is that?”

“A map of some sort.” He held it up for Jo and Liv to see. It was indeed a map of the US, with certain towns circled and names written next to them. Most of the map had an X through the circles, but Alaric was focused on one circle in particular. It was over Mystic Falls, and a list of Bennett names going back what looked like decades, if not a century. Most of the names were lined through, with the exception of Lucy, bur hers had a note ‘too far removed?’ scribbled next to her name. Abby’s name was crossed through entirely with the word ‘vampire’ next to it. 

 

Bonnies name was underlined three times.


	10. Chapter 10

Trying to cross a crowded ballroom while avoiding speaking to anyone was an exercise in futility, Bonnie realized. It seemed as if everyone she had ever met chose that exact moment to talk her ear off, and normally Bonnie wouldn’t have minded, but she was feeling a bit unsettled from Joshua’s last comment. She needed to speak to Kai and ask him what the hell was going on. Joshua’s demeanor was getting creepier by the minute, and if Bonnie didn’t know any better, she would think he was trying to ingratiate himself to her side. 

Kai was chatting with a group of younger witches, looking for all the world totally at ease. ‘Look at me, look at me.’ Bonnie mentally chanted, hoping he would look around and notice her heading his way, but no such luck. Bonnie had almost reached the halfway mark when Jo, Liv, and Alaric rushed through the doors, looking panicked and out of breath before they composed themselves. Bonnie watched as Alaric spotted Kai and nudged Jo and Liv in his direction. He scanned the room and when his eyes found Bonnie, she saw him give a visible sigh of relief. ‘Oh hell, what now?’ Bonnie changed course and headed to Alaric, while he double timed it to meet Bonnie and pull her to the side. 

“Are you okay?” He asked urgently. “Better than you are right now. What’s going on, Ric?” He glanced over to Jo and Liv, who had isolated Kai and were talking emphatically, Liv gesturing wildly. 

“Okay don’t freak out, but I think…I know..Joshua is planning something. Has he been acting weird towards you?” Bonnie let out a short laugh. “Uh yeah, and it’s giving me the creeps. He keeps going on about how family and the coven should always come first, like I don’t know he’s a power hungry maniac.” 

“Anything else? Anything about your ancestral line or Mystic Falls?” Bonnie tells him about the conversation that she had with Joshua when she first arrived, about how he made it a point to tell her about the Gemini compound and the magic that had seeped into the ground. That he compared it to the Bennett land in Mystic Falls. 

Alaric blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay, I have no idea where his mind is right now, but you should know that while Jo was searching for the invocation in Joshua’s office, there was a map that fell out as well. It was a map of the US and had certain places circled.” 

“And?” Bonnie pressed. 

“Mystic Falls was on that map, and there was a pretty extensive list of Bennett names going back at least a century.” Bonnie frowned, “Lucy, too?” Alaric nodded, “Yeah, only her name had ‘too far removed’ written next to it, like a question. But Bonnie, your name was underlined three times.” 

‘Of course it was,’ Bonnie thought to herself, ‘God forbid I get a little peace and quiet.’ She looked around trying to locate Kai and found him tucked away with Jo and Liv, much like she was with Alaric. His eyes met hers and he walked away from Jo who looked like she was still talking. She left Alaric, intending to meet him in the middle, when the sound of bells rang out. Bonnie knew that was the unofficial “two minute warning” to let everyone know to get to their seats. 

Bonnie and Kai stood still on opposite sides of the ballroom, gazes locked, while witches rushed all around to get to their seats. Finally, Kai shook his head and mouthed ‘later’ before turning to make his way to the dais. Bonnie headed back to her table and took her seat, but her mind was miles away, questions forming left and right. 

‘Why is he researching my family?’

‘Too far removed? Removed from what?’

But one thing bugged her the most. Why the hell would he send Jo in to get the invocation if he knew she’d stumble on it? He had to know that the first thing Jo would do is tell Alaric, and he in turn would tell Bonnie. So either Papa Parker was slipping, or he wanted Jo to find it. The more Bonnie thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Bonnie snapped out of her thoughts just in time for the invocation to end. 

It was tradition for the leader of the coven who was hosting the event that year say a few extra words, Bonnie watched as Kai downed his drink and waved a hand in Joshua’s direction lazily. 

Joshua stood up to address the room at large, “Thank you, son.” Kai’s eyebrows shot up with a ‘WTF’ face at the words before schooling his features back into his normal mask of indifference. “I am pleased to see so many of you here tonight to help us celebrate this year’s Autumn Solstice. I hope this will be a, and pardon the pun, magical evening for everyone here.” There is a smattering of polite laughter, and Bonnie reaches for her water, hoping he would hurry up and finish. 

“The Gemini Coven has a long and sometimes sordid history, it hasn’t been easy, but we’re still standing. I am truly humbled that so many of you accepted our invitation.” At this he glances Bonnie’s way. “Allies, old and new, are key in ensuring a coven’s longevity. No one can go it alone, nor should they be forced to.” Bonnie chances a look at Kai and finds his eyes are narrowed at his father, probably trying to figure out where he’s going with this speech. 

Joshua returns his focus to the ballroom at large once more. “So I’ll leave you all with a few words of wisdom: love your coven and your family, keep them close, and show no mercy to those that seek to destroy you.” Shouts of ‘Here! Here!’ could be heard as people toasted. Bonnie dragged her gaze from Jo and Liv’s bewildered ones to focus on Joshua. She was certain that he would be looking at her again, but to her shock, his gaze wasn’t focused on Bonnie this time.

It was locked on Theodore Neville. 

 

“Oookay.” Kai turned to look at Jo and Liv, because this? Was not normal Joshua Parker behavior. He almost sounded like he was defending Kai’s ascension to coven leader. “So was I just imagining it, or were you extremely focused on Teddy there?” Kai tilted his head in the direction of the table. 

Joshua sighed, “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Miss Bennett-“ Kai cut him off, making sure to keep his voice casual. “Oh yeah by the way, you need to stay the fuck away from Bonnie…..and Mystic Falls.” He smiled making it appear as if father and son were having a nice normal (hah!) conversation. 

“Found the map, did you?” He took a drink, Jo and Liv were both leaning over at this point. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Jo hissed. “Why would you coerce her into coming here when you know she didn’t want to?”

“I assure you, it was for her protection.” Their father rebutted.

“Protection from who? Cause right now the only threat I see, is sitting right in front of us.” Liv snapped. It took a while, but Liv and Bonnie had become extremely close over the years following her departure from Mystic Falls. Liv didn’t have many close girlfriends, mostly due to her acerbic tongue, but the one’s she did have, she made sure to protect. 

Joshua set his drink down with a thud. “Don’t be so short-sighted, Olivia, look around. That girl is a Bennett. Do you know how much power she holds? Even if she herself is unaware, it’s tremendous. Do you have any idea what one drop of her blood can do? What doors it can open?” He shook his head and let out a bitter chuckle. “If she were to be targeted or heaven forbid, attacked, all she has is a werewolf and a human to assist her.” 

“You still haven’t answered the question.” Kai noted. Joshua nodded, “I know, but I will. Let’s just get through this dinner and I’ll lay everything on the line, and it will be up to Miss Bennett if she wants to stay or not.” 

 

Bonnie tore her gaze away from the Parkers when she felt an elbow dig into her side. “Ow!” Martin rolled his eyes, “That didn’t hurt. So what do you think that was about?” Bonnie looked at him askance, anyone that said men never gossiped was a damn liar. “How would I know? You do realize I’m sitting next to you, right?”

“I just thought that after all this time, you would’ve learned to speak Parker.” Martin shrugged, digging into his meal of braised lamb shanks. Bonnie looked at her plate of Cornish hen with wild rice and figured if shit was gonna happen, at least she’d be fighting on a full stomach. 

She had only taken a few bites before the conversation at the table right behind her caught her attention. Clearly the girl had had too much to drink and thus had no idea how loud she was being.

“….cannot believe that Joshua and the council are actually letting him stay on as Praetor! He can’t be trusted.”

"Shut up! You don’t know that. He’s been out for how many years now? That merge was the best thing to happen to him.”

“You shut up! You’re only defending him because you wanna get a piece of that.” There was a pause as she took a drink and sighed. “He’s probably into some real kinky stuff.”

Bonnie shot a disbelieving glance in Martins direction. He had his napkin held to his lips, but his shoulders were shaking with repressed laughter. She had to look away to stop herself from cracking up as well.

“I mean, think about it. 18 years alone, nothing but your hand…or a doll for company.”

“Mary-Beth!” The second voice gasped. Bonnie’s whole table were trying to cover their laughter at this point. She didn’t dare look around to see if anybody else was listening, afraid that she would lose it and draw attention to herself. 

“I’m just sayin, the first live girl he saw, he probably came in his pants right then and there.”

And just like that, Bonnie’s laughter died, cause she knew damn well that's not what happened.

“That lucky ass Bonnie Bennett.”

“Mary-Beth.” Bonnie no longer had an appetite, but forced herself to keep eating. 

“I mean, he’s got that whole psycho vibe going on, and from what I hear she’s so uptight.”

“Mary-Beth!” The whole table was trying to avoid looking Bonnie’s direction now.

“Do you think that’s why she let him out?”

Bonnie put down her utensils and rose from the table, “Pardon me.” She leaned over to Martin and added in a loud whisper, “too much wine.” The look in Martin’s eyes told her that she wasn’t fooling anyone, but of course no one would say anything to the contrary. She made her way outside and took a seat on one of the benches marking the entrance to the well-manicured garden. It was so nice and peaceful that Bonnie considered finishing her evening outside away from prying eyes.

“Penny for your thoughts.” Jo’s voice broke the silence. 

Bonnie smiled ruefully, “I’m thinking….it’s been a while since I’ve taken a vacation. I’m thinking somewhere warm and beachy.” Jo laughed, “I can totally relate.” She regarded Bonnie for a minute, “It’s not much, but the Gemini own this private island that’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It’s cloaked, of course, but after all this is over you’re more than welcome to disappear on it for a week or two.” Bonnie was actually starting to consider it when Jo dropped the other shoe. “Of course the only way to get access is to have the current coven leader grant you access…” she finished teasingly.

“Of course.” Bonnie laughed. Jo sat next to Bonnie on the bench. “Okay, seriously. Have you ever thought about it?” Bonnie didn’t have to ask what “it” was. “I’m not gonna lie, yes. There’s always been this thing, this spark there. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, or will it away, it was there. He got under my skin, and he’s still there.”

“So why not try?” Jo asks “All those girls in there throwing themselves at my brother don’t give a crap about him. Just that he’s the current leader of the Gemini. You have the distinct advantage of knowing him pre and post merge, so you’ve already seen him at his worst.”

“Aren’t you scared that one day he’ll revert back to who he was? I know the merge is supposed to be permanent, but isn’t there a small part of you that wonders, ‘what if?’”

Jo takes a moment and nods slowly, “There is, and I think there always will be. Too much has happened for me to forget. My kids will never know a good chunk of their family because of what he did.” Her eyes start to water and Bonnie feels like the biggest ass on the planet for making her relive it. “Jo, I’m sor—“

“No it’s fine. I’ll never forget, but I can’t spend all day everyday wondering if he’ll snap again. That’ll drive me crazy. I have to put my trust in the merge and trust that what we’ve been told all our lives is true. And so far? It is.”

They sat in silence for a while, Bonnie mulling over Jo’s words. If Jo could learn to work past what happened, could she? A strong breeze blew through just then reminding Bonnie that she had walked out with no coat. Jo stood and pulled Bonnie to her feet as well. “Come on, time to head back in. I may love you to pieces Bonnie Bennett, but I am not missing desert for you.”


	11. Chapter 11

There was no easy way to slip back into the ballroom unnoticed, Bonnie was sure that word had gotten around, so she and Jo decided to play it up, laughing like they had just heard the funniest joke in the world. She was sure some would say it seemed forced, but there was no way Bonnie would show any kind of weakness in front of a bunch of gossiping witches. 

Taking her seat once more, she gasped in mock outrage and turned to Martin, who shrugged, clearly having no shame at all. “Damn vultures.” Bonnie muttered, referring to her dessert plate, which should have had a mini Tres Leches cheesecake surrounded by an assortment of fruit. Her plate was devoid of fruit, leaving only the cheesecake, and she quickly devoured it, making sure to keep one eye on Martin. 

“I’m in love with this wine.” Bonnie looked up to see on the of her table mates drain the rest of her glass. It was an older woman from a coven down in Texas, and Bonnie recalled this woman in particular, Darla Willard, loved her some alcohol. “Does anyone know where they got it from?” Bonnie took the last bite of her dessert and smiled to herself, wishing she had convinced Matt to come after all, so he could hear that all of their hard work was being appreciated. 

“A little place in Sedona.” Martin spoke up, none to subtly tilting his head in Bonnie’s direction. 

“Oh, that’s the place you own isn’t it, Sugar? I would love to swing by and see what else y’all are making out there.” Darla hinted.

“Yes, it is. Thank you for your kind words, I can arrange a tasting for you if you’d like.” Bonnie offered, trying to channel her inner ‘Tyler Lockwood’. Even though he grew up as one of the “founding families” in Mystic Falls and was the son of the Mayor, Tyler’s ability to network, and charm people still managed to catch Bonnie off guard sometimes. It came natural to him and Bonnie usually hung back and let him do the schmoozing. 

“It’s a date! So what does LBD stand for?” Darla asked, while eyeing Bonnie’s still full glass. Bonnie grinned and handed her drink over, “It’s just our last names. Lockwood, Bennett, and-“

“Donovan. Matt Donovan.” Martin cut in, showing Darla a picture he pulled up on his phone of the three owners. 

“Well, hell. They grow ‘em good in Virginia, don’t they? Bonnie, how you let this fine man just walk around like that? Are you two…?”

Bonnie laughed, “No, he’s one of my oldest and best friends.” Maxine’s eyes widened a bit, “So he’s available?”

“Sorry Dar, he’s taken.” Martin swipes until he finds a picture of Matt and Mariah. “Uh, they are disgustingly cute together.” “Aren’t they though?” Martin agrees. 

“What about the other owner?” A new voice pipes up, Bonnie realizes that they have drawn a bit of attention to themselves. A few of the younger witches have gathered around Martins chair and are looking over his shoulder. Martin pulls up a picture of Tyler taken awhile back. “Daaaayum.” One girl breathes, “Is he-“

“Nope, that’s all Liv.” Bonnie is quick to shut down any further speculation, especially since he’d be wandering around tomorrow.   
“He’s a wolf, right?” Bonnie rolled her eyes at the emphasis on wolf coupled with the slight slurring of words, evidently Mary-Beth hadn’t learned her lesson in keeping her mouth shut. “Yes, he’s a wolf, and one of the best people I know. He and Liv are lucky to have each other.” Bonnie turned so she faced her head on. After all the crap Tyler had gone through in his life, he deserved happiness and Bonnie would be damned if some woman who had obviously never learned to hold her alcohol, would say otherwise. 

But Mary-Beth just shrugged and said, “He’s hot, lucky Liv.” Pause. “You think the full moon has any effect on-“

“I think it’s time for a walk outside, it’s getting a little hot in here.” Her friend, who Bonnie felt increasingly sorry for, interrupted and with a bit of prodding, managed to get her up and heading towards the nearest door. 

“Girl never could hold her drink.” Darla broke the awkward silence. “Bonnie, who else you hidin’ from us?” Bonnie sent her a thankful smile as Martin continued to thumb through his phone. She’s reminiscing over a picture that was taken at a bonfire way back in high school when she narrows her eyes, “How do you even have a picture of that?”

“Caroline.” He replies.

“Of course.” Bonnie sighs. Caroline had come to visit when she was staying with Martin’s coven, and the two had become fast friends. Bonnie had learned that while most covens had a “stick to your own” rule regarding associating with other species, there were other covens that not only tolerated, but welcomed alliances with wolves and vampires. 

________________________________________

The dinner was on the downswing and some people who had been emboldened by the free flowing alcohol were taking advantage of the dance floor. Half of Bonnie’s table were off socializing and Bonnie had taken out her phone and was showing a picture of Elena and Caroline from the 50’s while explaining decade dances to the table (leaving out the usual mayhem that resulted), when a picture of her and Jeremy dressed in their 60’s attire popped up. Bonnie remembered that picture was taken right before everything went to hell. “Oh you two are just adorable, who is this?” Darla asked.

“Jeremy Gilbert, the boy wonder himself.” Liv had snuck up while they were distracted and grabbed Bonnie’s phone. “How is Jeremy these days, Bon?” 

“Jer’s fine, Liv. You know that, he and Tyler are friends as well and I’m sure they talk all the time.” Bonnie shook her head while reaching for her phone and tucking it back into her purse.

Liv was unbothered, pulling out her phone and scrolling until she found some recent pictures of Jeremy and Tyler taken at the beach and showing it to Darla. “Too bad he couldn’t make it this weekend, being a hunter must really take up so much of his time.” 

“He’s a hunter? Well done.” Darla winked and Bonnie could feel her face getting warm. “No we’re not……not anymore. He’s a good friend and that’s it.” Liv smirked while putting her phone back, while deciding to take pity on her. “Jo was wondering where the rest of the wine was stored, we’re running low on Riesling.” 

Bonnie frowned and got up, she had sent the crates ahead of time, so she had no idea where they could be, but it was Liv’s way of getting her alone without causing suspicion. She excused herself from the table promising Darla that she would indeed set aside a few bottles for her, and followed Liv to the main house, playfully bickering the whole way. They had barely cleared the entrance when Jo and Alaric joined them and as one, they headed towards Joshua’s office. The tension was thick and Bonnie had the urge to be anywhere else but there. 

“I don’t have to be here for this guys, I’ll just head on back to my room and you can fill me in later.” Bonnie tried to edge away, but Jo tugged her closer. “I’d feel better if you were where we could see you, we have no idea what he’s about to tell us and I don’t like the idea of you being alone. So many things can happen while you’re by yourself.” 

______________________________________

“I would like to start by saying that my intentions were for the good of the coven. Nothing more, nothing less.” Joshua states, before tossing back a good portion of the scotch he had in his glass. He was seated in his study behind his desk with the map spread before him. Alaric and Jo were seated in the matching leather high back chairs that faced him, while Liv, Kai, and Bonnie took a seat on the couch that ran along the back wall. 

He gestured to Alaric, “When you and the Salvatore brothers came to Portland the first time, I realized Malachai had everything he needed to get out, and I started taking steps to ensure that he would never complete the merge and become leader.”

“Taking steps……..you tried to KILL me!” Jo seethed. 

“And then you tried to force me and Luke to merge!” Liv added, eyes focused on her father. 

Joshua nodded, “Yes, I did both of those things, and at the time I truly thought that I was in the right.”

“And now?” Alaric asked. 

“Now I know that not only was I wrong, but that I acted selfishly.” Joshua poured another glass. “It should have never gotten to that point, I can finally admit that to myself.” He gestured to the map spread out on the desk. “What do you know about our annexes?” He asked Kai.

Taken aback by this seemingly sudden shift in conversation, Kai took a minute to sort through the copious amounts of Gemini lore he had been exposed to within the last 5 years. “I know that there aren’t that many left active, most have been cleared out and consolidated into as few places as possible. That’s probably due to the number of people we’ve pissed off along the way. And that they’re positioned all over the country…” He let that train of thought trail off as he looked at the map on the desk, that part of the puzzle clicking in place for him. “You were looking for something in one of the annexes? I thought everything was tagged in our main archive.” 

“Most everything, yes. However there are things that are only privy to coven leaders, and have passed from one Praetor to another. He leans forward in his chair. “One annex in particular has never been on any map and most of the previous leaders don’t even think it exists.”

“Let me guess, this Mystery Annex is located in Mystic Falls?” Bonnie asked dryly, for a group that never officially formed their own coven, the Bennetts sure seemed to like being all up in other people’s business. 

“It’s more like on the outskirts.” Joshua hedges. “We searched for years, but since your people had migrated from Salem, all we had was a general location of along the eastern seaboard. We knew they’d settled in what came to be known as Mystic Falls, but that didn’t mean that they brought with them all that the Gemini had entrusted them to keep. So it was put on the back burner, until the Travelers showed up and we sent Luke and Liv to keep an eye on things. When they cast their no magic border around Mystic Falls, it spread out enough to bump against where we think the boundaries for the annex are located. It didn’t uncloak it, but it was enough for Luke to notice something was amiss and mention when he was giving us updates on the matter.”

Liv visibly flinched when her twin was brought up, but charged ahead. “Why were you looking for it at all? What’s inside there that isn’t located here, or at any of the other locations?”

Kai stood and walked to the window, bracing his arms against the sill. “A way to get rid of the current leader without a merge or killing the entire coven.” He answered without   
turning around. “Right? You were looking for a way to re-instate yourself as leader.”

Joshua shook his head, “I was looking for a plan B. If all of my efforts were in vain and you were still due to merge, I wanted a backup plan just in case.” 

“Just in case what?” Liv explodes, rising from her spot on the couch. “My whole goddam life you’ve done nothing but tell us to ‘trust in the merge’ and ‘the merge will be a combining of two minds’, if you really believed that, then you should have wanted it to happen! Be honest, when did you really start trying to find this mystery annex? Cause this map looks a little old to me. Was it when Kai got out, or when you realized he was a siphoner?”

‘Holy shit.’ Bonnie thought to herself. Liv, when she was pissed off, was a sight to see, meanwhile Joshua’s silence was as loud as a shout. Liv nodded to herself, not bothering to hide the tears that were gathering in her eyes. “You were right that it should have never gotten to this point. If you had been anything like a real father, you would have realized that something was wrong with one of your kids, and done something to help him. Not continue to have more in hopes that you’d have a spare to take the place of your defective ones!”

Practically ripping the door off the hinges, she took off. Bonnie rose to go after her, not wanting to be in the same vicinity as the former coven leader. As she passed Jo, she reached out to touch her shoulder, “I’ll stay with the girls until you’re done here, okay?” Jo reached up to squeeze her hand and Alaric muttered a soft Thanks Bon". 

Kai hadn’t turned from his spot at the window.

_______________________________

“Josette, I need you to understand.” Joshua tried to plead his case to his oldest daughter. 

“Understand what, exactly? No wait, don’t. Just finish what you’re saying. Why is it so important to find it now?” Jo wanted nothing more than to go and comfort her sister, but the feeling that something even bigger was coming kept her in her seat.

Leaning back in his chair, he shot a look to where Kai was still staring out the window. “When Malachai merged with Lucas, and received your magic, we were waiting. For retribution, for reprisal, for something……anything! But it never came. Slowly but surely, he settled into his role as Praetor and even though not everyone approves, he’s been nothing but a good leader. One that I’d be proud to follow.” 

Kai snorted at that.

“But not everyone came on board.” Alaric guessed. 

Joshua sighed. “No they didn’t. The wheels that I set in motion kept turning long after I gave up, and unfortunately, the fact that I changed my mind indicated to these people that it would be best if I didn’t resume my position.” 

“Let me guess, Theodore Neville and his cronies.” Kai finally turns from the window and gives a humorless chuckle. “So you got in bed with the devil and you’re shocked that it’s coming back to bite you in the ass. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t hang your ass out to dry.”

“Because it wouldn’t be just my ass hanging out to dry.” Joshua ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “He wants to get rid of all of us, he figures if the Parkers are gone, a new family will step up and lead the Gemini, he wants it to be his. His circle is convinced that you being a siphoner is a sign that you are unfit to lead, that the fact you have no magic of your own is reason enough to strip you of your title.”

“I wonder where they got that idea from, huh? You really don’t think I’ve never heard you say the same thing about me?” Joshua opened his mouth, but Kai cut him off impatiently. “How does Bonnie’s family factor into this? I assume her blood will be needed at some point.”

“From what I’ve been able to find, the group that would eventually become the Bennetts fled Salem, narrowly escaping magical persecution, but they also needed protection from people that wanted to enslave them. So a deal was struck, the Bennetts would use their newfound land to hold certain….assets for the Gemini, and in return the Gemini would keep them cloaked and off the radar.” 

Alaric felt slightly nauseous. “Certain assets? What are we talking about here, grimoires, weapons………..people? Cause I don’t know if you guys realize this, but damn near every time we decide to open up some tomb, crypt, sometimes even a door, it ends badly for us.”

“Most certainly grimoires yes, along with ancient artifacts and weapons. Possibly some entities that pre-dated our coven figuring out how to establish prison worlds.” As Joshua listed off what could possibly be held in the building Alaric’s eyebrows climbed higher and higher. “Jesus, it sounds more like an armory.” He breathed to Jo, who was sitting with an incredulous look on her face.

“It sounds like it’ll never fucking happen.” Kai snapped. “If even half of what you’re saying should be in there, actually is there? It needs to stay locked away. The place is cloaked and off the radar for a reason, we’re not going to even attempt to open it.”

“Malachai-“

“NO!” Kai’s voice boomed, little cracks appearing in the window closest to him as it started to splinter. “Do we need to go into the logistics of trying to open a place like that? If it really exists, it wasn’t sealed and cloaked by a few people who were dawdling in magic. These are Bennetts, there’s a reason they were chosen, these people did.not.fuck.around. You think it’ll be as easy as a few drops of blood?”

Jo stood, “I think you should leave.” She signaled to Alaric to escort her dad from the office. Joshua stopped at the door and looked back at his two oldest children, “No matter what you both may think, I am sorry I wasn’t a better father to you both.” The door closed softly behind them both and Jo crossed the room and took Kai’s face in her hands. “Breathe, Kai.” He took a few deep breaths before collapsing into the chair recently vacated by his father. They both sit in silence for a while.

“Do you think it would have made a difference?” Kai asks, eyes firmly planted on the wall ahead.

"What?”

“Do you think if he had made an effort to try and get me help, would it would have made a difference?”

“I don’t know.”

“Me neither.”


	12. Chapter 12

Bonnie stood awkwardly on one side of the room. Liv was pacing furiously, magic sparking over her entire form as Tyler tried to get her to sit for a while.

Babe, calm down." Tyler reached for her, only to have Liv angrily slap his hands away.

"NO! Luke didn't have to die. None of them had to die if his selfish ass didn't want to stay being the leader of the coven."

"You don't know that-" Tyler tried again. Liv laughed and Bonnie felt the hollowness of it. "It couldn't have been any worse! He had an opportunity to put his family over coven, but he chose not to, and we've all been paying for it." She looked over to Bonnie for confirmation, "Right?"

Bonne tensed with both sets of eyes focused on her and tried to be diplomatic. "We don't know that for sure, Liv." She began gently, "Kai was always troubled and needed more help than just what your father could give him." Bonnie wanted to soothe Liv, but didn't want to lay all the blame at Joshua's feet.

Liv scoffed, "I'm surprised you're not leading the burn 'Joshua Parker at the stake' march, after all Kai did to you?" She shook her head, "But hey, if Joshua had stepped up, and helped his son, then you wouldn't have had a prison world to get thrown into, so I guess it all works out for you."

Tyler grimaced, "Low blow, Liv." Bonnie lowered her eyes, flushing slightly, knowing that Liv was somewhat right. She didn't even want to imagine what would have happened to her if Grams hadn't had a backup plan. The other side had ceased to exist and while Bonnie would have been more than happy to meet up with her Grams again, she didn't want to take the chance that since Damon was holding her hand that they would get sucked in somewhere else.

"What I want to know is how this damn thing was there all this time and we never noticed." Tyler shifted the conversation.

"Theoretically." Bonnie corrected.

"My ass. Something is there." Tyler volleyed back. "All these people wouldn't be looking for it so bad if it was only 'theoretical'. He squinted in Bonnie's direction, who was already shaking her head. "No."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Well I'm putting it out there, no. For a place to be that well-hidden, it's not full of candy canes and ice cream. And plus, did it escape your mind that .time we go and open, unseal, or unlock something we get our asses kicked. Nope, I've a streak going of being alive for more than a year at a time, I'd like to keep it going." She sighed and made her way to the door, "I'm gonna check on the girls for Jo and Ric."

_________________________________________________________________

Bonnie left and the room fell into silence. Tyler kept an eye on Liv who looked like she was a million miles away in thought. "Babe?"

Liv's gaze was set on the far wall, "What if there's a way to bring Luke back?" Tyler groaned, closed his eyes, and wanted to gut punch Joshua Parker for putting the possibility in her head. "I don't think that would be smart. Luke knew the risks when he offered to merge with Kai, he did it so he wouldn't have to sacrifice you or have your death on his conscious, and I think he'd want you to respect his decision." Tyler treaded carefully, he knew how strong the temptation would be to try and undo what was done.

He'd be lying if the same thing hadn't occurred to him, but in the next thought Bonnie's words came back to him. She wasn't lying when she referenced their crappy luck regarding opening sealed off places, starting with the release of Katherine Pierce. That was partly his reason to get the hell out of Mystic Falls, too many bad memories and ghosts wandering around.

Liv plopped down beside him, and he gathered her in his arms. "I know, I know. It just seems unfair that he's dead and I'm alive. It should be him, it should have always been him." She whimpered and Tyler felt his heart break for her.

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

Bonnie looked down at the stuffed toy she was clutching in her hands. She had taken a seat on the ottoman in the girls' room, while Alaric was seated in the rocking chair that he and Jo used to get the girls to sleep. Alaric had just recounted the conversation in the library, and Bonnie was stunned.

"So Joshua laid down with the devil and is shocked that he's getting screwed over." Bonnie shook her head. "It makes no sense, even if they got rid of just Kai, the coven still has the twins, and since they're so young someone would have had to rule and guide them until the merge. He would have been the natural choice to step in since he was a prior Praetor, unless that wasn't enough for him? He had to know that he wouldn't stay leader forever."

Alaric leaned forward, "Honestly Bon, I think he was just biding his time. Yes, he wanted to get back into power, but I think having his line merge with a more powerful one was his goal." Bonnie rolled her eyes, but Alaric continued. "With a merge of the Parker and Bennett bloodlines, the coven would be damn near untouchable.

"I am so sick and tired of being seen as a thing and not a person. What's to say that even if his vision did come to pass that he would even continue to play a role in the coven? I don't trust him as far as I can throw him without magic, Kai trusts him even less, so what's in it for him?" Alaric shrugged, "Bonnie, if you want to leave, nobody would blame you. We'll make some kind of story up, something about the business needing you."

Bonnie nodded, "Yeah, that's a good idea. I don't want to be anywhere near Theodore or his cronies. God only knows what tricks he's got going on." She paused in the process of getting up. "Did he say if there are any plans in the works? I need to call Lucy and tell her to be on the lookout, and I'll feel much safer if I'm surrounded by my own protection wards."

"No, he hasn't said anything about any plans. Nobody knows if this….armory is truly there, it's all speculation." He tilted his head. "I could send Damon-"

"No!" Bonnie burst out. "That is the last thing we need to do. He wouldn't rest until it was confirmed or not and then he'd want it open to look for weapons 'just in case'. No, telling Damon about this would be like throwing water on a grease fire. "

Alaric laughed, "Yeah you're right." He trailed off noticing her furrowed brows. "What's that look?" Bonnie regarded Alaric before deciding to go on and let it out. "I'm just thinking…..wondering really, if Grams knew about this place. And if she did, why not use what's in there to protect herself?"

"Bonnie."

"I mean, she had to have known that doing that spell to open the tomb would be too much. Or how about when we were running around trying to keep Klaus from sacrificing Elena, or when Esther came back-"

"Bonnie." Alaric got up and wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders. "I get it, I know." Bonnie gratefully leaned into his warmth. She and Alaric hadn't been too close when they both lived in Mystic Falls, but he's become something of a big brother to her. They stayed that way until the door opened and Jo peeked in, seeing them hugging she walked in and threw her arms around the two. After a minute she pulled away and took Bonnie's face in her hands. "If you need to leave-" Bonnie chuckled, "Me and Ric were just talking about that. I'll leave tonight."

Jo smiled sadly, "Let us know when you're ready and we'll drive you to the airport." She released Bonnie and nudged her towards the door.

_______________________________________________________________

Bonnie closed her door and leaned against it, taking a minute to calm her mind. She knew that she shouldn't have come here, but was glad that she knew now so she could be on the lookout for any strange behavior.

'Lucy,' her mind whispered. Bonnie was in the process of pulling out her phone to call her cousin when she realized she was not the only person in the room. Her magic sparked to life for a minute before the familiar aura of Kai's magic registered. "You scared the crap out of me. Why are you lurking in the dark, Kai?"

He was standing by her window looking out into the courtyard. "You need to-"

"Leave, yeah I know. I'm packing right now." Bonnie pulled her suitcase out and was startled when he appeared next to her. "I'm sorry, Bonnie."

"Not your fault. Don't apologize for what Joshua decided to do." Bonnie avoided looking into his eyes directly, focusing instead on arranging her things neatly. She looked at her dress hanging up and sighed, it was pretty and a part of Bonnie had really been looking forward to wearing it. It was dark red, one shouldered, and was fitted tightly until it reached her hips where it flared out into a flowy floor length skirt. Caroline had done a great job in choosing it.

Kai followed her line of vision and she saw him swallow hard. "You should leave it here." Bonnie snapped her head in his direction. "What?" He turned to face her directly and Bonnie saw the emotions swirling in his eyes. "Leave it here, that way I know you're coming back, and hopefully you'll have a chance to use it down the road."

Bonnie snorted, "So this is the more expensive version of leaving a toothbrush or hair dryer at someone's place?"

"Maybe." His lips lifted in a quick half smile. He lifted a hand and brushed a curl behind her ear, his hand coming to rest against her neck. She knew he could feel her pulse jumping erratically and exhaled nervously, needing to gain control of the situation somehow. "What are you going to do about your dad and what's going on?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll handle it. Do me a favor, though, don't go back to Mystic Falls for a while, and make your cousin aware of what's going on."

Bonnie nodded, "I hadn't planned on it, but I'll be sure to let Lucy know what's happening." She licked her lips and noticed his eyes zeroed in on the gesture. He skimmed his other hand up and down her arm leaving goosebumps in its wake. "Bonnie, I-"

He never got the chance to finish, Bonnie took the final step and brought herself flush against his front, tilted her head up, and brushed her lips across his. Kai reacted immediately and slipped his arm around her waist, making sure to keep her locked to him. Bonnie reached up and circled his neck with her arms and held on as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss.

In the few times Bonnie had let her mind wander to thinking about kissing Kai, she had always imagined it to be something like a force of nature. His explosive personality along with his near insatiable hunger for everything convinced her that it would be nothing short of mind blowing.

She wasn't wrong. Actually kissing Kai was like nothing she'd ever dreamed of. He took control and went about dismantling all her defenses with one stroke of his talented tongue. She felt his hands move to her hair and Bonnie was grateful she'd not gone overboard with the hair gel. She didn't know how long they stood there lost in each other, but their pleasure filled bubble was burst when Bonnie's phone rang. Breaking the kiss, but not removing herself from his arms, Bonnie breathed into his neck, "We're so doing that again when we have more time."

She felt Kai's answering laugh rumble through her. "Agreed."

Bonnie grabbed her suitcase and opened the door to see Jo standing there with her arm raised as if to knock, she took one look at Bonnie and Kai's faces and grabbed for the suitcase and handed it to Alaric. "Here, we'll go start the car."

Bonnie turned to face Kai, he held her face in his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead, the tip of her nose, and finally one more on her lips. "Have a safe trip, Bonnie."

"I'll be seeing you soon, Kai."


	13. Chapter 13

Bonnie breathed deep as she exited the airport terminal. She honestly had not expected to make her last minute flight, or arrive at her destination. She was sure something (someone) would have stopped her from leaving. But apparently her luck was holding, and she was pretty damn grateful for it.

“Greetings, little witch.” Bonnie groaned, apparently she had spoken way too soon. Her carryon was lifted from her hands as she felt his hand move to the small of her back. 

“Why? “ Bonnie said plaintively, throwing up her hands in exasperation. 

“Am I so good looking, so charming? Well, if you really must know-“

“For God’s sake Kol, stop crowding her.” Rebekah smoothly inserted herself in-between the two. “I’m sorry, Bonnie. He’s made it a habit of snooping on my phone calls and the insufferable prat invited himself along.” She cut her eyes towards her smug looking brother, who in turn gave his sister a dashing grin before leading the way to the still running car waiting at the curb. 

Once settled in, Rebekah turned to Bonnie and handed her photocopied pages of a grimoire. “This is all I could find in mother’s grimoire. As you can read, it alludes to something being kept hidden for safekeeping, but not what exactly. Ayanna’s grimoire may have something more, but I highly doubt it, if this place is as much of a secret as your Gemini make it out to be.”

Bonnie’s head snapped up, “My Gemini? Hardly.” Kol snorted from the front seat and met Bonnie’s eyes in the rearview mirror. She averted her gaze and focused on Rebekah, gesturing to the papers in her lap. “Thank you for doing this, but you didn’t have to come out here. Scanning and email would have worked just fine, too.” 

Rebekah tossed her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. “Niklaus is otherwise pre-occupied with re-establishing his rule over the quarter, Elijah is away doing whatever it is he does. Haley and Hope are spending time with her wolf family. It’s been entirely too quiet, and I’m honestly curious about what could be in this place.” 

“I still say we go and open it, whatever is in there can’t be as amazing as what they make it out to be.” Kol suggested. ‘Of course he would’, Bonnie thought to herself, his recklessness was on par with Damon most of the time. 

“No! Nobody is opening anything, we still don’t know if it’s actually there. Besides, I’ve learned not to go opening up places that are hidden for a reason. Anyone remember the cure?” It’s a low blow and Bonnie knows it’s still a sore spot, evidenced by Kol slamming on the brakes, “Oh yes, it’s all very fresh in my mind.” He exits the vehicle and Bonnie is about to object when she realizes that they have arrived at their destination. She slumps back in her seat, “Maybe that was a little below the belt.” 

Rebekah is quiet for a minute before nodding, “He’s an original that got taken out by a doppelgänger just turned vampire and a hunter that was just starting to come into his power. Not something that he likes to think about. But don’t worry, he’ll come back around.” Bonnie reached over and squeezed the other girls’ hand. 

 

***************************************

If someone would have told Bonnie that she would one day count Rebekah Mikealson as one of her close friends, she would have probably set them on fire. It didn’t happen overnight, but Bonnie recognized a lot of herself in the female original. She often wonders if everyone had just taken a pause or two before acting if their groups would have been able to work out some of their disagreements. Of course Bonnie hadn’t had a chance to really get to know Rebekah, spending much of her time distanced from the originals unless it was to perform a spell or go on the defensive. 

She had bumped (literally) into Rebekah on the island of Mykonos. It was one of the few times that she hadn’t been staying with a coven, having chosen to explore that part of Greece on her own. Bonnie had been temporarily blinded by the all-white buildings and had bumped into Rebekah, luckily the original hadn’t been holding a drink, otherwise Bonnie is sure she’d STILL be hearing about it. Bonnie mumbled a quick sorry and rushed off. 

The next day found Bonnie sunning herself on the beach, trying to talk herself into trying scuba diving when a shadow fell over her. She sighed to herself before turning over and addressing Rebekah who was standing over her with her arms crossed. “Look, I’m here to get away from all the craziness of Mystic Falls, and so far it’s been wonderful. This is a beautiful island, and I’m sure there’s enough room for both of us to be here at the same time. So can we please act like the adults we’re supposed to be and just steer clear of each other?” When she gets no response, Bonnie sighs and sits up, hoping that Rebekah doesn’t choose here and now to show out. 

She sends out a strong pulse of magic, letting Rebekah know she’s not going to be a pushover this time around and sees the other girls eyes widen for a second before a tiny smirk appears. “It looks like time away from the doppelgänger and her lackeys have done wonders for you. Very well, I doubt I’ll be seeing much of you, since I’m staying in my family’s private villa and all.”

“Then why are you here on the public beach?” Bonnie muttered and knowing full well how excellent a vampires’ hearing was, there was no way Rebekah didn’t hear her, but the original ignored the comment. Tossing an airy ‘see ya’ over her shoulder, the blonde left. Bonnie laid back down, praying that would be the last she saw of her.

 

It was not.

 

It seemed as if Rebekah had attached a lo-jack to Bonnie, no sooner would Bonnie walk into a restaurant or club, there she was not too long after. Always with an entourage surrounding her, and Bonnie wasn’t sure if they were compelled or not, but as long as she wasn’t attacking people there was no cause for alarm. It wasn’t any of Bonnie’s business, and she tried to stick to that mantra as much as possible. 

Bonnie was departing the Archaeological Museum of Delos, when she caught a flash of blond and mentally resigned herself to the other’s company. “I’m headed to Santorini next, any ideas on where I should visit?” She tossed out casually, turning to face Rebekah head on. 

Surprise flashed across the originals face and her eyes brightened before she schooled her features back into nonchalance. “Well I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to give you some pointers, I mean there’s no point in going to Santorini if you’re not going to fully experience it.” With those words Rebekah looped her arm through Bonnie’s, half dragging her back to her hotel room to pack. 

Santorini was beautiful; sapphire waters, more gleaming white buildings topped with colorful domes, more restaurants that Bonnie indulged in shamelessly. Rebekah turned out to be a top notch tour guide, and her days and nights there were filled with more fun than she’d had in a long time. 

There was also time for talking, since neither girl really interacted with each other in Mystic Falls. Bonnie told Rebekah the reason she left home and why she was traveling on her own. “You almost lost your life again?” Rebekah hissed, “What are you, addicted to dying?” Rebekah in turn told Bonnie of her own frustrations with her family, “It’s not fair that Klaus gets to do whatever he wants and expects you to sit at home. He’s your brother, not your ruler.” Both girls bonded over the fact that family love and loyalty is what shaped them into who they were today. 

Towards the end of their trip, Bonnie had gone out to purchase gifts for her friends, so Rebekah had stayed behind to plan that nights’ activity. Upon returning, she was surprised to find Elijah standing in the kitchen of their rented villa. She was embarrassed to admit it was less of a shock to find him there, than it was to see him out of one his ever present suits. He wore lightweight khakis and a linen shirt, and Bonnie was struck at how at ease he looked as he maneuvered around gathering ingredients. 

“Ms. Bennett, I hope you don’t mind my intruding on your vacation time. I was passing through and Rebekah wanted to have dinner."

“You don’t have to explain, let me go put these things away and I’ll be out of your hair.” Bonnie smiled politely and moved to head to her room. “Or you could stay and eat with us.” 

He shot her a half smile. “There’s plenty available, and I have to confess, when my sister mentioned that she found a traveling partner in you, I was…..curious.” Bonnie knew eventually one of Rebekah’s brothers would make an appearance, and she guesses it’s for the best that it’s Elijah, rather than Klaus, or Kol for that matter.

“Yes Bonnie, go put those down and get ready. We’re grilling outside tonight!” Rebekah sweeps in the room and shoos her away. Bonnie goes to her room and sets her purchases on her bed before heading into the adjoining bathroom to splash some water on her face. She studies herself in the mirror, it’s not like she actively hates Elijah (not anymore) but he does put her on edge. For all the talk about how noble and trustworthy he is, Bonnie knows firsthand how cunning and ruthless he could be. ‘Get a grip’ she tells herself before exiting her room and making her way to the patio. 

Rebekah and Elijah are standing by the grill, and Rebekah’s face is animated as she recounts some of their adventures. Bonnie takes a minute to study the siblings, having never had any of her own, she is always fascinated with other peoples’ family dynamics. Elijah is facing the grill, but has his head tilted towards his sister, while Rebekah is leaning on his shoulder, lazily waving a hand in the air. They look completely at ease with each other and Bonnie envies their closeness.

“There you are!” Rebekah notices Bonnie standing just outside the sliding doors, “I was telling Elijah that we were talking about possibly moving on to Athens after leaving here.”

"If you’ve never been, I highly suggest that you do so, there are a lot of places that would interest you as a witch.” Elijah says. Bonnie smiles tightly, “I’ll keep that in mind.” They all sat down to enjoy the grilled kabobs with roasted veggies. Rebekah kept up a steady stream of chatter, and Elijah even chimed in with stories of their family over the years in Greece. The scenery was amazing, the food was great, and she found the wine to be exceptional. 

And then Rebekah’s phone rang.

She tried to ignore it at first, but the caller was persistent, not leaving a message, but choosing instead to hang up and call back. Finally she snatched it up and upon seeing it was Kol, rose and excused herself. “What the bloody hell do you want?” was all Bonnie heard before the door slid shut.

‘3…..2…..1’ Bonnie mentally counted.

“I do hope I haven’t intruded too much on your vacation.” Elijah began. Bonnie tossed back the remainder of her glass and reached for a new bottle, but Elijah beat her to it and did the honors.

Bonnie shook her head, “No apologies necessary, Rebekah was just talking about how much she missed you a few days ago, so great timing.” She turned her gaze to the sunset that was casting a lovely glow on the buildings around them, mentally begging him not to ask-

“I was also surprised to hear that you were traveling alone.”

Bonnie kept her line of sight towards the sunset, “Elena isn’t here, if that’s what you’re asking, nor the Salvatores for that matter. This isn’t a trap, I’m not trying to harm your sister. In fact it was her that came up to me and continued to thrust herself in my path. I understand that given the history that’s occurred, you may think otherwise, but it’s the truth.” She turned to face him head on. “I left Mystic Falls to get away from all the craziness there, and to start living my life for me. I can’t force you to trust me, but I’m also not going to sit here and beg you to believe me.”

There’s a moment of silence and Elijah’s dark eyes are boring into hers, “I appreciate your candor, so I will give the same in return. Rebekah is my sister, and I love her dearly. I protect and fight for those I love fiercely.”

Bonnie lets out a short laugh, “Oh yes I know how fierce you are in protecting your family. My mother is a walking talking reminder, thank you very much.” She sees his eyes widen and she gives a bitter chuckle. “Forgot about that did you?” 

“I refuse to apologize for ensuring my family’s safety.” He takes an elegant sip of his drink. 

“No one here is asking you to apologize, I’d look like the biggest hypocrite if I did. I’ve done too much shady shit myself to ensure that the people that I regard as family were safe to judge you.” The wine making it easy to spill her long held frustrations. “So no, I don’t need an apology, what I would appreciate is an acknowledgement.”

An elegant eyebrow lifted, “I’m sorry?”

“I’m talking about what happened that night.” He tilts his head in confusion, “I apologized to Elena in a letter-“

“This is not about Elena!” The wineglass left on the table by Rebekah shatters, “Not everything is about her. I’m talking about the bullet that Abby and I took for the team, well, Abby more than me. You knowingly set Stefan and Damon after us knowing damn good and well what would happen. And then afterwards, you apologize to Elena, with no mention of the ones who really paid the price for your mothers’ scheming. I expected more from the ‘noble’ original.” She scoffs, draining her drink. She’s not sure how many she’s had, but at the moment it doesn’t matter. 

Elijah’s eyes narrow, “While I admit that my actions that night were…unfortunate, it wouldn’t have had to come to that had you not been conspiring with my mother to link and kill us.”

“Seriously?” Bonnie gapes at him incredulously, “You think I had a hand in the planning of that? I was still learning about my powers, Abby had all but given up magic. Something like that would have been totally beyond my abilities at the time. I wasn’t invited to your ball, remember? I didn’t even find out what happened until the next day, well after you all were linked.” She slumped in her seat, “Yes we wanted to get rid of Klaus, and we didn’t care what kind of carnage we unleashed to do it. But I own that at least, and this trip is about getting away from that ‘burn everything around us to get what we want and worry about the mess later’ mentality and make some kind of amends. That’s why I befriended Rebekah, I was hoping to do some good for a change.” She finished quietly.

Elijah was silent during her rant, and after she finished he gave a short nod. “I’m sorry.” Bonnie started to shake her head, but he rushed on, “I’m not apologizing for stopping my mother, rather, how it was done. I’m sorry that I never acknowledged you or your mother’s sacrifice that night.” He raised his glass in Bonnie’s direction, “here’s to making amends and doing some good for a change.” 

“Thank you.” Bonnie replied quietly. She felt lighter, having finally gotten that off her chest. They sit in silence for a while, enjoying the last rays of sun. Only a few more minutes passed before Rebekah returned to the patio.

“You will never guess what Kol has done this time…..what the hell happened to my glass?” 

Elijah left the next day and Bonnie and Rebekah continued on their vacation to Cyprus. Kol popped up on the third day (Bonnie is sure Rebekah called him, just like she called Elijah, although the blond would never admit it) to play tour guide. To Bonnie’s amazement, Kol was extremely well versed in Greek history. The three of them spent another month bouncing around Europe before Bonnie received an invite to visit a coven in England. The trio parted ways, but promised to keep in touch. Rebekah and Kol were both on hand to celebrate the grand opening of her winery. 

 

******************************************

Bonnie was brought back to the present by a knock on the window and a voice calling in. “You staying in there all night?” Bonnie climbed out and rushed to hug the smiling woman holding the door. “Hi Ms. Bess, thank you so much for opening up for us.” 

“Nonsense,” the woman replied, “You’re welcome here anytime, sugar.” Bonnie stepped aside and soon Rebekah was swept up in a hug as well. Bonnie noticed Kol was hovering near the entrance and headed over, wanting to make sure her earlier careless comment wasn’t festering. Kol noticed her approaching and shook his head giving her a rueful grin, “No worries, darling. I know it was an off the cuff comment. It just hurts the ego a bit.” Bonnie runs her hand down his arm and squeezes his hand before letting go. 

“Thank you for this, Kol.” 

“Anytime, love. Now, let’s get this show on the road. Bess! You gorgeous woman, where are we headed?”

Bess shakes her head as she takes the arm that Kol has offered, leading the small group up the stairs to a hidden entrance that only opens for a particular group of people with a certain bloodline. They were called the Guardians of Knowledge, and they oversaw the largest and oldest collection of grimoires in the United States, there were a few other such libraries sprinkled across Europe and Asia as well. In some cases, there were people who were the last of their line, and rather than have their grimoires lost to time or end up in unsavory hands, handed them over for archival in the library. It turns out Kol really did have witch connections everywhere, having known immediately who to call. Bess Neilson is the latest guardian of the ancient tomes, and happened to have been a close friend of Sheila Bennett. Bonnie had met the woman on a few occasions during her travels, Bess preferred to travel to retrieve the grimoires herself, always making sure that they were given up voluntarily. According to Bess, there were even a few Bennett Grimoires located inside.

Bonnie looked up in awe at the buildings before her, she had heard of this place but never had the chance to visit. Hearst Castle was intimidating in daylight, but at night, it’s otherworldly. She hopes they can find something that alludes to an armory or cloaked annex in the books.

 

She’s just now made up her mind to find a way to be with Kai, she’d be damned if she was going to let him go without a fight.


	14. Chapter 14

"Matt."

"Matt!"

"Seriously? I know you can hear me." Pause. "I WILL come in there."

"Go away Care! Some of us are mere mortals and need sleep." Matt rolled over, attempting to ignore the incessant knocking at his door. He reached out blindly for the beds other occupant, but to his dismay found the bed empty, the sheets cool to his touch. "Arggh." Out of all the ways to wake up, Matt greatly preferred seeing his girlfriends' face to the hurricane that was Caroline Forbes. He loved his childhood friend dearly, but she could be exhausting to keep up with.

Knock, knock. "Matt are you-"

"I'm up woman!" He would have liked to have gotten another hour of sleep, but with Caroline all but breaking down the door, he knew that would be impossible.

"Great, the muffins are just about done, so I'll make coffee." Matt perked up at that, food was always a nice incentive to getting up early.

"You should have led with that." He grumbled, shuffling to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, Matt made his way into the kitchen. Caroline, true to her word, was just pulling a tray of muffins out of the oven. She handed him a cup of coffee as he sat down and he took it with a smile in her direction. They both ate in silence for a while before Caroline brought up the elephant in the room.

"So, are we just gonna ignore that our friend is out there trying to potentially open up another Pandora's Box? Is that what we're doing? Cause if so, I gotta say-"

Matt held up a hand, "Care, stop. This isn't the same Bonnie that would jump to sacrifice herself anymore. I trust her to do what is right. She's not doing this alone," Caroline rolled her eyes, "Yes, because it's so much better that frick and frack are there too."

"It is, you know they care about Bonnie, too. Plus it never hurts having two originals on your side." He stood to refill his coffee cup. "As long as we're talking about it, what do you think is in there? I know Bonnie said there's possibly a way to dispose of the current Gemini leader without outright killing the rest of the coven, but there has to be more, right? Otherwise all of this just seems like overkill."

Caroline shrugged, "From what Tyler said, Liv told him that the various annexes all had a mix of old coven artifacts and maybe some grimoires, some were even supposedly used as holding cells. Apparently the Gemini would travel or send out representatives, and in exchange for handling whatever problem they were called out to fix, a deal was made to allow the Gemini to house items on their land. Protected by both Gemini and that particular coven's magic."

"So not just anybody could go and open it up." Matt guessed. "They would need a person from both covens there to access it. Very smart, so we know why they need Bennett blood, but not what's in there."

 

"Or why it's so hidden." Caroline ducked her head, "Is it bad that I kinda want to open it up, just to see what the fuss is about?"

"Well considering the Bennetts not only agreed to the arrangement, but cloaked the place so damn well that no one even know for sure it exists, tells me that it's not to be messed around with. Come on Care, we've had a real good run of good luck, I'm not ready to go back to the days of not knowing whether each day would be my last."

"You're right, I know. It's just….I don't know Kai all that well, but I think he could be it for Bonnie." Caroline said haltingly. "So I just want to make sure that he's good for her. They can't start anything with this hanging over their heads." She looked up at Matt in horror, "Do you think she'll move there if they get married? I probably won't be able to visit her!"   
Matt shook his head and rinsed his cup.

"So not the point, Caroline."

 

**********************************************************************************************************************

You didn't go home.

I stopped to visit a friend.

At 10 at night? 

It was a spur of the moment trip. I'll send you a picture of Hearst Castle if you want. 

Hearst? Dammit, Bonnie!

What? You don't like castles? Fine I guess I can swing by the beach and send you a picture of that instead. 

Bonnie, I don't want you to get involved in this.

It's on Bennett land, cloaked by my ancestors. I'm already involved. Besides, I can't just go back to my everyday routine knowing someone out there is gunning for me. 

No, they're gunning for me.

And I stand to get hit by some major shrapnel! I'm not standing by and doing nothing while Neville and whoever else plot to use me to get to you.

….

Hello? Kai? You still there?

If I ask you to stay out of this, will you?

What do you think?

Did you at least take either blondie or the jock with you?

…..

Bonnie?

Yeah about that….don't worry I'm not alone.

What does that mean?

It means I'm fine, can't get any better than having two originals watching your back. 

Are you serious….of course you are. Just be careful.

I will, I'll let you know what I find. 

 

*****************************************************************************************************************

 

I miss you

Kai's hand hovered over the submit button, weighing the pros and cons of letting Bonnie know exactly how much she affected him. He'd had years to adjust to the sudden influx of emotions, now able to identify and keep them closely controlled. But being near Bonnie made him feel as if the merge had just occurred, and that he was losing the emotional ground that he had fought so hard to conquer.

The fact that she was out there with not one, but two originals, looking up information for his sake sent bolts of warmth through him. He didn't know whether to be happy or pissed that once again, Bonnie Bennett had thrown herself in the path of a speeding train.

'For you.' His traitorous mind whispered to him.

He'd tried to stay away give her the space she obviously needed, occasionally tempted to check in with Jo or Liv to see what his favorite witch was up to. He didn't know the exact circumstances of her breaking from the Mystic Falls crew, but anyone that knew her then as opposed to now, could attest to how much leaving that wretched place only helped her in the long run.

There was a short knock, then Liv barged in, Tyler following directly behind her. Kai took a minute to study his sisters' boyfriend. While the Gemini didn't outright forbid witches from co-mingling with other species, it was not something that was normally done. Especially not within the Parker family. He didn't know Tyler all that well, but he seemed like a good guy, and as an added bonus, he was one of Bonnie's childhood friends.

"Did you talk to her?" Liv demanded, wasting no time at all. Kai nodded, "She's doing research right now, trying get a sneak peek without actually peeking, if you will."

"Called it!" Tyler crowed triumphantly before sensing the mood in the room, and toning it down. "So what's the next step?"

"We give her time to look." Liv answered. "Does anyone know Bonnie left?" she asked Kai, who shrugged. "Hopefully not, it was later in the night. But we keep it quiet for now." Tyler turned to Liv, "Well since you're kinda obligated to stay, I'll go and help her find whatever it is she's looking for, she shouldn't be doing this alone anyway."

"Don't bother, apparently having not one, but two originals in your back pocket comes in handy when you need bodyguards." Kai said flippantly, hoping the bitterness in his voice didn't show. On one hand, he was extremely glad that Bonnie hadn't gone off alone, but on the other hand…

Originals. Two of them. And one he had a sinking suspicion that was in it for more than friendship. Kai had never met Kol Mikealson, but witches and covens the world over knew of the former witch turned original who seemed to spend just as much time traveling amongst witches as he did traveling with his family. Someone like Bonnie who was not only a Bennett, but who seemed to unknowingly exude power and grace would absolutely be the type of witch Kol Mikealson would try to ingratiate himself with.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he focused on his sisters' boyfriend. "It shouldn't take Bonnie longer than a day to find what she needs. Then she'll be on her way back to Sedona, you can head back and meet her there." He turned to Liv. "We're stuck here until the weekend is over, so we need to act like everything is going as scheduled. We'll say there was a work thing that drew Bonnie back home, and with Tyler leaving as well, it'll be a good enough story."

He stepped towards the door, "I'm headed down to the hall for breakfast, don't take too long, Liv."

Left alone, Tyler embraced his girlfriend tightly. "I'm sorry we didn't get to-" But Liv cuts him off, "I know, we'll just have to tell them another time. I really don't think now is the right moment to let everyone know." Tyler leans back to get a good look at her face, "If you've changed your mind, its okay, we can wait until this is all over. We've waited this long, what's a few more months?"

Liv shook her head determinedly, "No I'm not changing my mind, I'm breaking from the coven and we're moving in together. I thought I could stay here and just lose myself in work, but Luke is everywhere! Sometimes Kai will say something and, it'll be such a Luke thing to say, and I feel like I lost him all over again. He was my twin, so I'll carry him with me forever, but being here constantly is just wearing on me. I need to get out, I need a change."

Tyler puller her close and kissed her forehead, "Then that's what we'll do."

 

************************************************************************************************************

"Time for a break, Bennett." Kol popped up beside her.

"Jesus!" So engrossed in the grimoire before her that she didn't hear him sneaking up behind her, Bonnie jumped and glared at the laughing original.

"Not Jesus, just Kol…although if it pleases you to refer to me as such, who am I to argue?" Bonnie groaned and closed the book. She didn't think she'd find what she was looking for in there anyway, and her left leg had long since fallen asleep. Kol helped her stand and allowed her to lean on him while she endured the pins and needles moving up and down her leg.

"Where's Bekah?" Bonnie asked as they made their way to a small sitting area where someone had prepared a breakfast spread. "She's currently resting, because apparently getting the chance to study timeless grimoires is not enough to hold her attention." Kol rolled his eyes, handing Bonnie a plate filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. "Have you slept?" She asked as she took a bite of the fluffy eggs, noting that it was cooked exactly to her liking.

Kol smirked, "I'm an original, darling, this is nothing. Nik and I once stayed awake for two weeks during the renaissance, each trying to see how many…" He trailed off at Bonnie's raised eyebrows and coughed softly, "you know what? I forgot why exactly, point is, a day or so isn't going to be detrimental to my health. You on the other hand, when did you last lay your head down and rest."

Bonnie waved him off, "I slept a few hours, and I'm surprised you didn't see me, I was knocked out." She munched on a bit of bacon, "Where were you? I know what I'm looking for, but you seem like you're searching for something too."

Kol nodded, "Prior to my last daggering, you knew my siblings and I were in New Orleans?" He questions, waiting for her nod of affirmation before continuing. "I formed my own alliance with a faction of witches, with whom I shared a common goal." "Kill Klaus?" Bonnie guessed. "More like put stick a dagger in his chest and see how he likes it." He countered. "Nik could dagger any one of us, at any given time, and I for one was sick of it. So I joined with two other witches and using a perfect paragon diamond, we set off to create the one tool that would hopefully give the rest of us some piece."

"I take it you didn't succeed." Bonnie questioned. Kol smiled ruefully, "No, pet. My dear sister, while she loved me, has always had more allegiance to Nik. Long story short, my friends paid dearly for putting their trust in me." His eyes took on a faraway look and Bonnie couldn't help but reach a hand over to cover his. "I'm sorry, Kol."

He shook his head, coming back to the present. "Not to worry, while we didn't get to complete the dagger, there were many other little objects that we did create. Some I've located since I've been resurrected, seeing as they didn't travel far and were still located in New Orleans, but I'm still missing a good number of them."

Bonnie contemplates asking what he plans on using the objects for before realizing its probably better if she doesn't know. The Mikealsons have a complicated relationship, filled with in-fighting and (literal) backstabbing, but she knows they will have each other's back in a second against a mutual enemy. She decides to let that sleeping dog lie and just enjoy the fact that the originals have kept their brand of crazy contained to New Orleans.

 

After breakfast she's winding her way through the ornate halls, using a crude map drawn by Kol trying to locate Rebekah so she can help go through the still impressive mountain of grimoires. She's sure some people have noticed she not at breakfast, and while that can be explained away easily, she'd prefer to be at least on her way back home to Sedona before any real questions are asked. She's texted Vincent and Martin to let them know she was leaving, if only to keep them from being worried. Bonnie knows that her excuse of there being problems with the business is vague, and that neither are buying it, but it lends a bit of truth if anyone is bold enough to outright question their statement.

Hearst Castle is huge and soon Bonnie gets tired of wandering aimlessly, (the map Kol gave her is leading her in circles she swears) so she takes a quick look around, then using the bracelet that Bonnie borrowed eons ago does a quick locating spell. The route on the map is completely different than what Kol had drawn and she resolves to give him hell for it later.  
A few twists and turns later and she throws her hands up in frustration. The map has led her to a quiet corner of the castle and Bonnie thinks her magic is being affected by the other mystical items scattered around because she is staring at a brick wall.

"Aargh!" It's not her finest moment, but Bonnie is nearly at her wits end as she throws the map to the ground and slams her hand against the brick. She turns and lets her back thump against the wall while she tries to figure out what to do next. She supposes she could call out for either Kol or Rebekah, but even though Bess has assured them that they will not have to worry about running into anyone, Bonnie didn't want to chance it.

And she really didn't want to give Kol the satisfaction of having to rescue her.

As she bends to pick up the map, about to swallow her pride and call out when she notices the route that was once on the paper is gone. It's now completely blank, but there is a single inscription:

 

Sanguis meus, vere est

 

Of course it would require blood, Bonnie thought. Quickly pricking her finger she let a drop fall on the paper, and waited for any kind of reaction, but none came. Thinking maybe it needed to be up close and personal, she let more blood well up on her finger before pressing it to the brick wall itself. Almost immediately she felt the air shift around her, and a feeling of warmth engulf her entire person.

Bonnie opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them, and saw that she was still facing the brick wall, but she could tell she must have been transported through it somehow. Upon turning, she noted she was in a small room that housed one table and a lone bookshelf that was half filled. The room seemed to be lit from a single lamp filled with oil that was mounted on the wall. As odd as Bonnie found that, the fact that there was no dust or spider webs intrigued her more. It looked as if the room had just been cleaned, and she thanked the gods above for magical housekeeping.

Stepping towards the wall that held the grimoires, she was unsure of which book to choose, so she just grabbed the nearest one. She felt the same air shift then:

 

Sister!

Welcome!

 

The same feeling of warmth she felt before stole over her once more and Bonnie nearly cried. It felt like evenings with Grams, listening to her play her jazz records and dancing the night away while her father was gone on one of his many trips. It felt like when she first touched Lucy at that masquerade party so long ago.

It felt like family and love.

 

"Blessed be, child." Bonnie spun at the words, mouth gaping open. Sitting at the table was the one person that she would always be happy to see.

"Grams!" Bonnie was sure she had never moved so fast in her life. One second she was looking at her grandmother, then the next she was practically in her lap, tears overflowing. Bonnie had always felt that there was no safer place for her than in her grandmothers arms, and she was pleased to see that feeling hadn't changed.

"Let me look at you, baby." Grams smoothed her hair back, and Bonnie closed her eyes as the familiar gesture. "I missed you so much Grams." "I missed you too, but we don't have much time. To put it bluntly, yes, what you're looking for does exist." Bonnie's face went through a myriad of expressions, and the questions tumbled out. "Why is it cloaked? What's in there? Can they get rid of Kai that easy?"

"Mystic Falls sits at the mouth of where two major ley lines converge. That's why it gets so much supernatural activity. Our ancestors had no idea what was going on when they first settled, but they did have the power to fight. The Gemini had knowledge, but not a lot of power, seeing as their official seat was all the way across the country. So, the Gemini would be allowed to use the Bennett power to aid in capture and hold whatever creatures they hunted, and in exchange they provided cover so we Bennetts and whoever stumbled across our little haven would be able to live their lives as free people."

"That sounds harmonious, what happened to change it?" Bonnie at this point couldn't see anything wrong with the arrangement.

"A demon that was especially adept at controlling minds got a hold of the Praetor. The demon was eventually killed, but the damage that it did on the Praetors mind was too much to come back from. He had to be constantly sedated and left under watch in order not to kill himself, and thus the entire coven."

"He was a good man." Bonnie whipped her head around to see a woman around her age, her head wrapped in a white cloth and warm brown eyes. Smooth brown skin that seemed to glow in the small room, with a gentle smile on her face. "Hello sister, my name is Rosalee." Bonnie choked out a bewildered, "Hello."

"Thomas was a good man, but that demon destroyed his mind. In his moments of lucidity, he begged me to end him. But I couldn't, he and his wife had no children old enough to merge, and to keep him alive that long would be too cruel. So, with the help of my sisters, we created a spell to transfer his magic to the next in line."

She bowed her head, "The next in line, Michael, was not a good man. Unbeknownst to us, he was working with the demon to usurp Thomas. He originally just intended for Thomas to remain locked away, and Michael would rule in his stead." She looked up with tears in her eyes, "None of us knew the toll transferring magical energies would have on the body. Thomas died shortly after the spell was complete.

Once he became Praetor, Michael worried his deceit would come back to haunt him. He called us charlatans, and accused us of killing Thomas on purpose. That was the end of our alliance with the Gemini. The coven believed their leader, as Michael knew they would, and turned against us. They murdered all that was involved in the casting of the spell, and set fire to our village before leaving for good." Rosalee took a deep breath and exhaled sadly. "My mother, with my dying breath, cursed Michael's offspring to be incapable of producing magic, only taking." Bonnie's mouth dropped.

 

Her family was the reason siphoners existed?

 

Rosalee nodded, as if she had read Bonnie's mind. "Obviously things that are said in grief most likely are not the most kind, and perhaps she did not mean for it to carry down the line, but that is how magic takers came to be."

 

Bonnie sat beside Grams in shock. How the hell do I tell Kai the reason his life was a living hell was because of something said by my ancestor in the heat of the moment centuries ago? 

 

"Bonnie?" Her Grams' concerned face swam into focus. "I'm okay, um what happened to the spell?" She decided to deal with that later and focused on the reason she was there in the first place.

Rosalee studied her, "It still exists, my mother decided to keep it in case the time ever came for another intervention. We gathered everything the Gemini left behind and sealed it inside, it was cloaked using the power of the ley lines and Bennett blood."

"Is there any way to strengthen the seal, like another layer?" Bonnie asked desperately, because opening it up just to retrieve one thing in order to destroy it was just asking for something to get out. If the Travelers spell managed to dent it, then it was only a matter of time before something else happens to expose it fully.

 

"Why don't you just get rid of it?" The question came from the corner, surprising all that occupied the room. The girl was younger than Bonnie, late teens most likely. A mass of dark curls surrounded her face and her eyes sparkled with mischief. Her dark skin reminded Bonnie of Lupita Nyong'o, and her smile was twice as bright. She approached Bonnie, "I'm Lenora, nice to meet you."

"Hi, what do you mean, get rid of it?" Bonnie demanded. Lenora rolled her eyes "I mean, you have access to one of those swell ascendants, right? Get rid of the whole thing, vault and all."

Bonnie looked to Grams and Rosalee, "Can we do that, do I have enough power?"

"You can channel the ley lines that run through your town. Easy." Something about Lenora's easygoing demeanor sets Bonnie on edge. "How do you know it'll work?" The girl shrugs, "I don't, but isn't that idea better than just sitting around hoping no one realizes what's hidden? Or worrying that your blood will be taken from you and used against your will. Honestly, darling, a choice needs to be made."

 

Bonnie turns to her Grandmother, "Is that possible, Grams? To send the whole thing to another world?" She sees her grandmother sigh, and nods. "It is, but Bonnie, the amount of power it will take….."

Bonnie's mind is running a mile a minute, not realizing that it's just the two of them alone once more. If she can convince Kai, and channel enough power….Bonnie is lost in her thoughts when her grandmother's face is once again front and center. "Is he worth it?"

"What, who?"

"Don't play with me girl, Malachai Parker. I know who he was, but who is he now, is he worth it? Will he go as far for you, as you seem to want to go for him?"

Bonnie shakes her head, "It's not just about him, Grams. He's a big part of it, yes, but it's not just him. I need to do this for me too, I hate being on the defensive and just waiting for something to happen is torture. So, I'm gonna take the first shot. It's a big shot, but if it works? I've eliminated a huge threat hanging over my and Kai's head."

 

Grams eyes search Bonnie for a while, before gathering her up in a hug. "Oh baby girl, I am so proud of you. Go, talk to Malachai, I'm sure he's anxious to know what's going on." She leans back to direct a stern look at Bonnie, "You make sure to let Malachai know that after this, we're sitting down for a nice long chat. I think it's best we get reacquainted." Bonnie hugs her grandmother one last time before turning to the wall. She feels energized and can't wait to get back to Kai and figure out a solid plan.

 

"Can you do something for me, love?" Lenora is back in the room, and Bonnie is on edge once more. She smiles brightly, "Tell Kol to take a walk along Lake Pontchartrain, up near what's now Slidell. Oh and make sure he brings my necklace, it will let him know when he's close." She winks and is gone.

 

Bonnie is standing back in the hallway on the other side of the brick wall, processing all that she's learned when Kol rounds the corner. "There you are, come on. My dear sister is up and in a mood, apparently." He's leading her through the hallways, going on about Rebekah, but she's learned to tune him out by now. She's figured out what it was that bugged her about Lenora, she used to get the same feeling when she first came in contact with the unpredictable original. It was the never knowing what the other was going to do, and they both had that same frenetic edge to them. Together they must have been a ticking time bomb.

"I found what I was looking for, how about you?" Bonnie asked curiously.

 

"No such luck for me, darling." Kol pouted opening the library door and ushering her inside where Rebekah is waiting.

 

Bonnie cleared her throat, "Um, well. Lenora says to take a walk along Lake P-something near a place called Slidell. Oh and to bring her necklace, it'll let you know when you're close."

 

Bonnie has the satisfaction of hearing Kol Mikealson run right into the same door he was holding for her.

 

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Sanguis meus, vere est- my blood is my truth


	15. Chapter 15

"We have a problem." Theodore Neville hissed as he met Joshua outside in the lush gardens on the Gemini Compound.

"What could possibly be wrong? I did my part, all the wheels are in motion-"

 

"Bonnie Bennett did not go back to Mystic Falls." Neville cut him off.

"What?"

"In fact, she's currently inside talking with the current regent of the Nine Covens and Martin Balledeaux, Joshua I thought you said you would handle getting her back into Mystic Falls!" His agitation was clear for anyone to see.

 

"Calm down, Neville. I know she left, I had her followed to the airport." Joshua trailed off when he realized he had no idea if the Bennett witch actually boarded a plane back to Virginia or not. Evidently not, if her appearance back in Portland was any indication. He could feel his temper rising, obviously this situation would need a more personal touch. He needed to get Bonnie alone and convince her to head to her ancestral home and uncloak the annex.

 

He was sick and tired of playing the role of 'forgiving father' and wanted the power and prestige of being Praetor back. The fact that Malachai hasn't yet managed to destroy the Gemini Coven didn't matter, in fact as far as Joshua was concerned, it was only a matter of time before his sons true colors showed and the soulless monster that slaughtered half his family would reappear. In all fairness, he would be okay with losing the others, but his granddaughters…they were the lifeblood of the Parker line. With their parents out of the way, he would be appointed their guardian until they were able to merge. With his guiding hand, he would have the chance to shape and mold them into the ideal Gemini leader.  
He turned to the fuming man beside him, Theodore Neville wasn't fit to lead his own coven, let alone one as prestigious as the Gemini. To add to that, Neville also sought the Bennett witch as a bride, which Joshua had encouraged, despite knowing that despite Bonnie's many denials, she was hopelessly smitten with his son.

 

"Relax, Theodore. Let me speak to Miss Bennett and find out what happened. In the meantime, situations like this is why we have contingency plans." Joshua walked away, mentally calculating the best time to implement his backup plan. It would be messy and inelegant, and there would definitely be blowback, but would get the job done.

 

*************************************************************************************************************************

"So that's why I sent the text, I thought I'd have to head back home and settle it, but then I realized that I'm one of the owners and the other two can handle it, so I sent Tyler back. I'm sure he and Matt would be able to handle a simple distribution error." Bonnie relayed to Vincent and Martin over a late brunch.

She had high tailed it back to Portland, needing to speak to Kai immediately and let him know not only what she found, but that there was a way around it. She knew she had to tell him about the origins of his siphoning ability, but she figured that could wait until after they had dealt with the more immediate danger. Running into both Martin and Vincent had been a stroke of luck, but it gave her a chance to explain her text.

Both men exchanged a glance that clearly said they didn't believe her. Martin leaned forward, filching a strip of bacon from her plate, "Sure, okay BB. I don't know what's going on, but I'm here for the whole weekend, if you need anything or help with anything, just let me know." Bonnie started to protest when Vincent cut her off.

"This whole weekend is just…..off. Ever since the prodigal son ascended the Gemini throne, the coven as a whole has been careful to keep the appearances and soirees to a minimum. Barely interacting with any others unless it's official business, and even then, it's a quick in and out. But now, they're opening the doors for all to see. I can guarantee that about 75 percent of the people are only here to see how the coven is fairing with Kai as a leader." Vincent paused to take a sip of juice, "and then there's you."

"Me?" Bonnie parroted.

"It's pretty well known that you usually steer clear of anything Gemini, but you accepted the invitation for this weekend, and I'd say a good portion of people want to see how you act around the Gemini as well, specifically their leader." Bonnie scoffed, but he continued. "Like it or not kiddo, there's sparks there that everyone can see. You're also one the few people that can say they knew him in while he was in his prison world." He shrugged, "People are curious."

"It doesn't help that that asshole Theodore Neville is going around running his mouth." Martin chimed in.

"What's he saying?" Bonnie was almost afraid to ask.

"Something to the effect that the Gemini won't have to worry about their current Praetor for too long, how wrong it was to have a siphoner as the leader, and if he were in charge that would never fly with him, stuff like that. Bonnie felt the anger that was on a slow roil in her stomach flare, that condescending jagoff was really starting to get on her last nerves.

"He also hinted that this weekend would be a turning point in regards to a certain witch that has no official coven, and who for some inexplicable reason cavorts with vampires and werewolves alike." Martin teased, knowing that Bonnie had no interest at all in the warlock. Bonnie shivered, "I'd rather die." She paused, "again."

She took a deep breath, "Look guys, I appreciate it, really, I do. You're right, something else is going on, but I can't tell you because it's not just mine to tell. I'm hoping that this weekend passes with no incidents, but if I need anything I know where to go." She smiled, grateful for the men's' company. The conversation switched to lighter topics, and while Bonnie always enjoyed herself with them, she needed to speak with Kai.

 

As if conjured by magic he appeared by her chair, "Hey guys, I need-" Before he got the whole sentence out, Bonnie was up and unthinkingly wrapping a hand around his. "We gotta go." Martin and Vincent watched them go with a shared laugh between them. "Do you think they know how obvious they are?" Martin asked as he munched on what was left of Bonnie's plate.

 

*******************************************************************************************************************************

"Why are you back here, Bonnie?"

"I found something"

The door to the room that Bonnie had stayed in prior to her quick trip to California had barely closed before they were both speaking at the same time. Kai's eyes widened at her outburst. He knew she wouldn't have come back unless she found something important, but he hoped that it was something that could be used to their advantage. He couldn't trust that Joshua told them the whole truth, becoming Praetor once again was something that Kai knew his father wanted desperately.

Bonnie paused to gather her thoughts, telling him about what was located in and below the annex and what the tentative plans for getting rid of it was one thing. Telling him that the origin of his siphoning was a whole other matter.

 

Would he hate her ancestors?

 

Would he hate her?

 

Kai stepped towards Bonnie and took her face in his hands, leaning in slowly he brushed his lips over her top lip, then the bottom, before settling his mouth firmly over hers. Bonnie for once didn't fight her practical side, choosing instead to lose herself in the feeling of being cherished. Her arms snaked around his waist to anchor him to her, as he walked her backwards. Soon her back hit the wall and Kai took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, tongue snaking out to tangle with Bonnie's. Minutes or hours later, she broke off the kiss to breathe raggedly in his ear. Kai, however, was undeterred as he left a trail of open mouth kisses down along her neck and throat.

 

"Kai." Bonnie moaned as he concentrated on one particularly sensitive spot. Her neck had always been a hot zone for her, and he found all the right spots without needing any direction.

'I could have this every day.' Bonnie thought to herself. 'But not if he's dead.' A voice that sounded eerily like Grams echoed in her mind. That thought was enough to pull away and try to put some distance between their bodies.

 

Kai pouted, "Aw c'mon Bon." Bonnie leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips, but ducked away before he could resume his earlier actions, she needed to be able to think in order to tell him what she found out. His eyes narrowed in on her face and he sighed, "So I guess we're being serious now, huh?" Bonnie nodded and he took her hand and led her to the bed and sat beside her.

 

He kept a hold of her hand while she relayed the information that Grams and a few of her ancestors had shared with her. He went uncharacteristically silent when she confirmed that yes there is a way to transfer the power of the Praetor to another member of the Gemini Coven without harming the members, but that using that much power and that particular spell would most surely kill the former leader.

Bonnie took a deep breath before letting him know that there could be a work-around, that by channeling the power of the ley lines that ran beneath the building itself, they could harness enough energy to send the entire building to its own world.

Kai looked at her in bewilderment, "That's the work-around? You want to send the whole thing to a prison world?"

Bonnie bristled, "Well it's better than opening it and letting whatever is in there free, not to mention someone getting their hands on that spell." She threw up her arms in amazement, "Are you really telling me that you want to chance it? I would have thought that you'd be the first person jumping at the bat to do this."

Kai moved off the bed and began pacing back and forth. "It's not that I don't want to do it, I just need time to think about it and make sure it's our best bet. Prison worlds are tricky to construct and I don't know about you, but I'm not too eager to go back into one. Plus you're talking about channeling a lot of power, can you handle it?"

Bonnie stuck her chin out, "I channeled a hundred dead witches when I a novice in order to take down Klaus Mikealson." Kai snorted. "Yeah, okay, that didn't work out so well, but that was through no fault of my own." She stood in his path forcing him to stop pacing. "I've only gotten stronger over the years, and I'm not so careless with my life or my powers anymore. We'll be smart about this, we can call Lucy and have her help as well."

She gripped his hands in hers, "I've realized that I can't do it all by myself, and along with that realization is the comfort in knowing that I have more than enough supernatural friends ready to help shoulder the burden in whatever way they can."

Kai raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Well well, guess who's all grown up." He hesitated before taking one of her hands and bringing it up to his lips to press a soft kiss on the back. "That's what it's like to have a coven, Bon." The corner of his lips rose in a half smile, "It's a good thing isn't it? Knowing that there are others to call for backup when it's needed. I've always wanted that for you." He shook his head, "No, I…wanted to be that for you."

Bonnie's heart did a funny double thump, "You wanted to be my back-up?" Kai let out a chuckle and pulled her in to his broad chest. "I wanted you to know that you always had the option of calling for help. I know you're a Bennett and all, so belonging to a coven isn't really your thing…but I'm throwing it out there."

 

Bonnie leaned back to look in his eyes, "Are you asking me to join your coven? I'm…I mean-"

 

"It's an option for down the road, how bout we leave it at that." He gathered her back into his arms, so she wouldn't see the expression on his face.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure what he was feeling. Disappointment, for sure was on the front burner. He hadn't expected her to jump on the idea right away, of course.

Didn't you? His traitorous mind whispered. He shook his head, damn feelings and emotions were more trouble than they were worth. He quickly brought the subject back to the cloaked annex.

 

"Let me think this over, and figure out the smartest way to do it. Sending the entire annex and everything in it to another prison world seems like a good plan. But we have to be smart, and stay a few steps ahead of dear old dad." The bitterness in his voice was hard to hide.

 

Bonnie snorted, "Oh good, so you don't buy his 'repentant father' act either?"

Kai shook his head, "That man hates that I replaced him as leader. I'm sure he wished Josette would have won, because then he'd still be ruling through her." He saw Bonnie's confused face, "Jo's been gone for too long, too out of touch with the coven, plus the council would have given her hell for not doing the merge 18 years ago, so she would have had dad stay on as her "advisor". All while dealing with a new marriage and newborns to boot? Joshua would have taken right over."

 

Kai glanced at his watch and groaned, "I've gotta go and meet with the council. I'll grab Jo and fill her in on the way." He squeezed Bonnie one last time before reluctantly letting her go. "Anything else to share before I go and be lectured to for an hour?"

Bonnie wanted to say the words, 'yeah, my family is the reason that you were treated like crap' but the words wouldn't come. So she shook her head and pressed one last kiss to his lips, and then he was gone.

 

'Coward'. The word bounced around in her head. She told herself that it would be too much to throw at him at one time.

 

After, she promised herself. I'll tell him after the immediate threat was dealt with.


	16. Chapter 16

"It's an option for down the road, how bout we leave it at that."

 

Kai's voice bounced around in her head for a bit before settling in for an extended stay. Of course, this wasn't the first time she had been approached with an offer to join a coven. However, it was the first time she actually gave the offer serious consideration, mountain of doubt notwithstanding.

She had finally gotten comfortable with her magic, and managed to carve out her own space in the world. Did she really want to give that up to be folded into a centuries old coven? Especially since that coven had a notorious habit of not playing well with others. Specifically, other species.

Right on cue her phone chirped, signaling an incoming text message.

'I got everything on the list.'

'Thanks, did you have any trouble getting in? '

Instead of a text her phone rang, "No, they must have been having a good day. I was able to enter and set up the candles just as you requested." A pause, "You're planning something major, I'm assuming?"

"Why do you say that?" Bonnie stalled, not wanting to go into too much detail over the phone.

"When I was inside, there was a lot more activity than normal. I mean, lanterns were lit, furniture moved around like they knew I was coming, and I could have sworn I heard Sheila."

"Oh."

"And I definitely saw Emily. It was only a few seconds, and it was at the edge of my vision, but I know it was her."

"Maybe she just wanted to say hi." Bonnie replied lamely.

The voice on the other end snorted, "Nah, I think it was more she was making sure I knew that I was being watched." He paused, then gave a rueful laugh, "Now I get why Damon was always apprehensive about going in there."

The statement hung in the air, both knowing exactly why the witch house would be against any Salvatore entering. Bonnie may have found it in herself to get past what happened to Abby, but it clearly was still a sore spot with the rest of the Bennett witches. The only vampire that was able to come and go at will was Caroline. A privilege that she loved and made sure to rub in whenever possible.

'Look, Stefan-"

"It's okay," He cut in, "You don't have to tell me. Just let me know if you need anything else. Or at least let me know if I have to move back into the boardinghouse for a bit." Stefan had moved out of the massive dwelling and into a spacious bachelor pad that was a no more than a stones throw from the witches house.

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Don't worry, if anything does happen, you are nowhere near ground zero. Thanks again Stefan."

"No problem, gotta go, Elena is calling." He sighed. "Damon is probably still trying to convince the village where our ancestors are from that there needs to be a statue dedicated to the Salvatore's."

 

"He's still trying to make that happen? Whatever, tell her I got her last package and I'll email her later." Bonnie said. Stefan quickly said his goodbyes and hung up. Bonnie took a second to give thanks for Damon being preoccupied and thousands of miles away in Italy at the moment.

 

The trip was supposed to have been a way for their group to come together and hang out like the old days. But real life had a way of intruding, and one by one people had to bow out until it was just Damon, Elena, and Stefan. Bonnie strongly suspected that Stefan changed his mind simply because he didn't want to be the third wheel with his brother and ex-girlfriend. Which was to be expected and understandable. It was also the reason he'd finally moved out and into his own space.

 

Bonnie was unsure of what exactly was the straw that broke the camels back, seeing as it happened at a time when she had broken off contact with any and everything Salvatore and Gilbert related, and to ask after would have opened up the can of worms, so she left it alone. But if Bonnie had to guess, it would have been due to a return of 'all-about-Damon' Elena and what occurred at her going away party.

 

Prior to getting her memories back, Elena was a throwback to before their world was upended by supernatural drama. The girls were nearly inseparable, attending Whitmore, sharing a dorm room, and fully diving into the whole college experience.

 

It was perfect, exactly what Bonnie had hoped her college years would be like. For a while, anyway

 

Bonnie had decided to sell her father's house and move into her Grams' cottage. Caroline, of course, took charge, and in the space of only a few weeks, she had the house cleaned and ready for showing. Damon showed up every day to help move furniture, load boxes, and tackle a few minor repairs when needed. Bonnie knew it was in part due to how close they had become in the prison world, but she also knew that he was using the occasion as a way to get closer to Elena.

 

Elena protested and scoffed at the idea that she would ever want to get her memories back, but Bonnie knew it would only be a matter of time before the curiosity took over. Sure enough, late one night Elena had come to Bonnie's door asking if she knew of a spell to help retrieve her memories. She had barely gotten the request out before Bonnie led her to the library where the spell was already prepped and ready to go.

Elena raised her eyebrows, "You knew that I'd want to get my memories back?"

Bonnie shrugged, "I knew it was a possibly, and with how thick Damon was laying it on. I figured we'd be here sooner or later."

"So, what do you think, should I do it?" Elena was pacing and wringing her hands. Bonnie exhaled and grabbed her hand to stop her. "Let's be real here, you're not here to ask my opinion. You've already made up your mind, and you want me to talk you out of it. I'm not gonna do that, you're a big girl who can make her own decisions."

Elena nodded, "Okay, let's do it." 

 

Once her memories were restored it was like nothing had changed, once again all of her focus was on Damon and everything else came second. There was one big change though, and that was Damon's friendship with Bonnie. Ideally it should have been the best of both worlds because now the two genuinely got along and Elena no longer had to play peacekeeper.

 

There were movie nights where it was literally nothing but 90's movies, followed by pancakes in the morning. Inside jokes that left the doe eyed brunette felling like a third wheel. Elena was glad that two of her favorite people got along, but if she were honest with herself, she did not like having to compete for Damon's affection. Something that she never had to do in the past.

 

It all came out on the night where they were up against a group of vampires who had heard through the grapevine that the cure existed. Damon laughed in their faces and told them that they were a few years too late. Katherine Peirce had taken it and seeing as she was dead and gone, there was nothing for them in Mystic Falls.

 

Looking back, Bonnie is sure that it was the laughing-in-their-faces part that the vampires did not like, and as expected, all hell broke loose. Bonnie had performed a boundary spell that would lock the visiting vamps in one place while simultaneously setting them on fire. The set up and execution went perfectly, and all too quickly there was nothing but a pile ashes left.

 

Due to the nature of the spell, and the amount of firepower it took to complete it, Bonnie was drained by the time it was done. Elena had driven her home and promised that she'd be back to stay with her after she swung by the boarding house for an overnight bag. Bonnie barely got through her shower before she collapsed into bed.

She woke up around 3 to get a glass of water when she heard a noise on her porch, assuming it was Elena, she opened the door and stepped outside. The attack came from her right side and before she knew it, there were a pair of fangs deeply imbedded into her neck. Shock and rage were the only emotions that Bonnie could feel coursing through her.

How dare this no-name asshole try and take her blood?

She dropped to her knees, taking the vampire with her, and placed both palms on the ground, activating the defensive wards that spanned the outside of the cottage. Immediately the vampire detached himself and started to choke, the blood that he'd taken from her neck turning into vervain. A quick incantation and he burst into flames.

 

The attack had taken no more than 20 seconds, but on top of how much magic she used earlier and still hadn't fully recovered from, Bonnie could feel the familiar sensation of a nosebleed and her vision was graying at the edges. She lay sprawled on her back, too drained to magically close the wound on her neck. Laying on her grandmother's porch, all Bonnie could think of was how she had squandered her second (third? fourth?) chance at life. She had fought and clawed her way back to the land of the living and nothing had changed. She was still stuck in Mystic Falls, risking her life every other day, and for what? "I'm sorry Grams." She whispered, closing her eyes and succumbing to the dark.

 

She woke to the sound of glass breaking and raised voices.

"You were supposed to be with her!" Caroline's voice was high and accusatory.

"Calm down, Blondie." Damon sounded like he was barely restraining himself.

"Go to hell, Damon, nobody is talking to you. I'm talking to your girlfriend who couldn't manage to tear herself away from your side for one night to make sure her best friend was okay." Caroline barreled on. 

"Maybe we should all take a step back and be a little quieter, Bonnie is still sleeping, and attacking Elena isn't going to help anything." Stefan was using his 'soothing voice'. 

 

Bonnie heard Caroline huff, "Of course here comes St Stefan, you do know that you're broken up, right? No need to put on the white hat and ride to her rescue."

"That was out of line, Care." Elena finally spoke up. "I dropped the ball, yes, but don't fault me for wanting to spend some alone time with my boyfriend who died-"

 

"You do know he's not the only one who died, right? And the only reason he's even back in this world is upstairs sleeping off a vampire attack. " Matt spoke up. 

"Of course I know that." Elena snapped.

"Hey, you're awake." Bonnie turned her head to see Tyler sitting in an armchair. She realized she was at the boardinghouse in the room that had become 'hers' in 1994.

"How long was I out?" Bonnie asked, trying to ignore the commotion downstairs. 

"12 hours, give or take." Bonnie nodded and gestured towards the door. "And how long has that been going on?" Referring to the arguing that was getting louder again. Tyler smirked, "About 12 hours, give or take."

Bonnie adjusted the pillows and sat up. "I don't suppose you can sneak me out of here, huh?" Tyler grinned ruefully and shook his head. Bonnie sighed and threw back the covers, "Well I'm starving, might as well get this over with."

 

She had showered and made her way downstairs, Elena was predictably full of remorse and vowed to do whatever to make up for her lapse the previous night. Bonnie remembered looking at Elena and for the first time thinking 'I don't believe you'. She blurted out that she had made a decision to take a break from magic, and to leave Mystic Falls.

 

After the initial knee jerk reaction of denial (Caroline) and tears (again Caroline), planning went off without a hitch. Everything had been arranged and it seemed as if Bonnie would be able to leave without any extra drama taking place.

Yeah, right.

 

On the night of her going away party, Bonnie was looking for an obscure journal that Damon swore was in the library when she overheard a conversation between Elena and Stefan. Elena admitted that she was relieved that Bonnie was leaving so she'd have Damon all to herself again. Bonnie was unable to keep quiet and let loose years of resentment towards the doppelgänger. Elena responded by accusing Bonnie of being in love with Damon and trying to drive a wedge in between them. The night ended in Bonnie telling Elena to fuck off and to get her head out of her ass.

 

Bonnie left Mystic Falls swearing to never talk to Elena again, and feeling resentful of Damon because he stood by and didn't bother to stick up for her. It took years and an accident that almost took Jeremy's life for the two former BFF's to sit down and actually talk again. Their friendship would never be the same as it once was, but Bonnie was more than okay with that. She'd found a makeshift family all her own at that point, and no longer needed to cling to the remnants of childhood.

 

Shaking herself out of her daydream, Bonnie looked at the time and decided there was enough time for a nap. She would need her strength for what was to come.

 

 

AN: I apologize for the long wait, real life issues (being an adult sometimes sucks) This is mostly a filler chapter that I rushed through to explain why D&E are AWOL and to give a bit of backstory. We will return to our regularly scheduled magic show in the next chapter. Which hopefully won't take as long to post.


	17. Chapter 17

Bonnie stood in front of the floor length mirror in her room critically eyeing the dress that she had brought for the evenings' ceremony. The dark red dress that Caroline had picked out was an excellent choice, and it fit like it was made specifically for her.

"Why can't I ever get dressed up and have a normal night?" She sighed to herself. Her hair was pulled up and back, leaving her neck and shoulders bare. Free of jewelry except for the glittering B that hung from a silver chain around her neck. The jewel had been lying next to her pillow when she awakened from her nap, and when she touched it, a wave of familiarity and comfort flowed over her. It was the same feeling that she felt when she had entered the hidden room in Hearst Castle. Obviously her ancestors were setting things in motion on their end.

There was a knock and upon Bonnie yelling come in, she saw Tyler's head pop in. He took in her dress and gave a quick whistle. "Damn Bons, you clean up nice." Bonnie smiled widely and curtsied. "Back atcha, Ty. What's up?"

He walked over and sat down on Bonnie's bed. Although they had only recently become closer, Bonnie had always been able to tell when Tyler was holding something in. She sat next to him, "Is this about Liv wanting to leave the coven?" Tyler's head shot up in surprise, "Did she tell you?"

Bonnie half shrugged, "She's mentioned it a few times, so I knew it was something that was on her mind. Has she made a definitive decision?"

Tyler nodded, "She…I…We want to break away and start our own life. Without the shadow of the Gemini hovering over us. When her dad was the leader, there was no way of him letting Liv go. But now that Kai is in charge, Liv thinks he'll feel enough guilt over all that's happened to allow her to leave peacefully." He pauses and bites his lower lip before continuing, "Plus, she won't be in the position to constantly have to choose between me and a coven that only tolerates me because I'm dating her."

"I'm sorry, Tyler that must suck for you both." Bonnie took one of his hands in hers. "Let me know if there's anything that I can do to help." He took a deep breath as if gathering his courage, "Actually that's kinda why I'm bringing it up. Liv's already got her degree in business, and she's actually interested in going back to school to study Oenology, and-"

Bonnie cut him off, squeezing his hand and laughing "I was going to offer anyway. Even if she's not interested in the wine growing process, she can still help with the business aspect of it." Bonnie sobered and turned to Tyler. "Has she mentioned anything about this to K-…I mean the Praetor?"

Tyler shook his head, "No. She was planning on doing it after this weekend was over, one last magic shindig, I guess. We sure as shit didn't see all this other crap popping up." He tilted his head in Bonnie's direction. "Speaking of, Liv told me what you're gonna do, send the whole thing into a prison world. Can you do that? I mean, without dying and stuff?"

Bonnie snorted, "And stuff? Really?"

Tyler rolled his eyes, but didn't let her change the subject. "Yeah stuff. You know you can over-do it when it comes to magic sometimes, and this really doesn't even concern you-"

Bonnie cut him off, "Actually yes, it does concern me, and it should concern you too. It's on Bennett land for one, and that asshole Neville is planning to basically steal a centuries old coven that can do a lot of damage to other species. If you think it's hard for Liv to get out of the coven now, can you imagine what would happen in he succeeded and became Praetor? He definitely would not look the other way while you two skipped off into the sunset."

Tyler was nodding along, "Shit, yeah. I didn't even think about that. So what do you need from me?"

"Right now, I just need for you to be your charming self. I'm going to let a few more people in on the plan, so you can help cover my absence." Bonnie got up and started fidgeting with her necklace. Tyler looked confused, "Okay, where will you be?"

Bonnie exhaled, "There's about a half hour to forty-five minutes after the nights welcoming ceremony where nothing is really going on, and most people are off mingling. I'm gonna use that time to slip away and portal back to Mystic Falls and do the spell then. I should be back before they call us in for dinner."

Tyler looked at her like she had lost her mind. "Let me get this straight. You plan on sneaking out of here and going to Mystic Falls to perform a spell that, by your own ancestor's recollection, can backfire and kill you, then get back here in time to eat some dry ass chicken?" He shook his head "I thought you were being smarter with your magic B."

Bonnie huffed and crossed her arms. " . I won't be doing the spell alone. Not only will I be channeling the ley lines that run underneath the building, I'll have generations of Bennett's helping…along with some local talent. I will not be alone, I promise." 

Tyler stood and placed his hands on her shoulders, "Okay, I trust you." He gave her a quick hug before stepping back. "C'mon, we need to get going."

Bonnie grabbed her clutch and said a quick prayer before leaving her room and following Tyler downstairs to the foyer to meet with the group that had gathered there. Jo, Alaric, and Liv were speaking in low tones to Martin and Vincent.

Since Bonnie would need help in making it appear as if she were there the whole night, she had decided to include both men to help in the deception. Martin was a natural charmer who had a talent for weaving words and making the listener believe just about anything. Vincent on the other hand, projected air of gravitas around his being, if he said something, it was true. Both men had no personal desire to become the new Praetor of the Gemini Coven, so their participation was purely about helping.

Tyler headed straight to Liv's side and the two moved off to the side and began a hushed conversation. Bonnie joined the rest of the group, and gave the two a grateful smile. "Thanks for helping guys." Vincent smiled, "Not a problem, chere. You know we're all here for you." Martin threw an arm around Bonnie's shoulder, "Now I don't know the full extent of what's going down, but I was looking for something to liven up this boring ass party. So thanks for that."

Touched by his willingness to help, Bonnie only rolled her eyes before addressing Jo and Ric. "Are the girls gone?" Jo nodded, "Matt left about an hour ago." 

The anxious parents wanted to make sure that their children couldn't be used for leverage against them, as well as wanting to keep them out of harm's way. So the girls had been cloaked and whisked away to spend time with 'Uncle Matt and Aunt Mariah' in an undisclosed location.

Bonnie looked around and noticed that they were missing one person, before she could form the question, Kai walked from the area she knew contained his office. She had only seen Kai in a tux once before, at Jo and Alarics wedding, and she hadn't been focusing on how he looked so much as she was focusing on how to keep him away from her. This time, she took in the complete picture that he made, and wow. She had always known that Kai was good looking, but seeing him in his formal wear, he was devastatingly handsome. Bonnie also noticed that his pocket square was the exact same shade of red as her dress. He slowed his approach and scanned Bonnie from head to toe, a small but genuine smile gracing his lips.

"Looking damn good Bennett." Bonnie blushed and tried not to focus on the warmth that was spreading throughout her body. Now was not the time to get distracted, she had too many things to focus on, but she allowed herself another few seconds of gazing before she forcibly snapped herself out of her daydream.

Kai offered her his arm, and group departed the main house to head towards the adjacent building. As if sensing the two wanted some time alone, the group allowed Bonnie and Kai to lag behind.

 

Kai took a deep breath, "So I guess this is a good a time as any to ask, seeing as we're walking into a situation where anything can and probably will go wrong." He sounded nervous, and Bonnie tightened her grip around his arm. "Now is probably not the right time to discuss anything heavy right now-"

 

"No, but this is important, and I really need an answer." He protested, the serious look on his face was making Bonnie anxious.

"After this is done-" Bonnie tried.

 

"No, I really need to know….what is your opinion of pineapple on pizza?"

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief, not bothering to smother the smile that broke out on her face.

 

Nestled in the shadows Theodore Neville, along with a few of his closest followers, observed as the group made its way across the lawn. The fact that Bonnie Bennet could willingly associating herself with vampires, werewolves, and the bat-shit crazy current leader of the Gemini Coven, while rejecting him outright, irritated him to no end. He had been unfailingly polite to her when she stayed with his coven, more than willing to overlook her upbringing in order to show her the correct way to wield all that power.

Unfortunately his efforts were not appreciated, and although he was dismayed, he always assumed that he would have another chance. Except, looking at how focused the two were on each other, he could tell that that was not going to happen.

'Oh well', he shrugged to himself. His initial goal was to become the Praetor of one of the oldest and most powerful covens in North America, having a Bennett by his side would have been an added bonus, but he'd settle for just overthrowing the current ruling family. The Parkers had had their days of leading, and had damn near destroyed what took so long to build.

Allowing a known siphoner to stay with the coven? Joshua had done an admirable job in convincing the rest of the council to overlook his son's obvious mental problems in order to get to the merge. Theodore scoffed, they deserved what happened that fateful night in May. None of that crap would happen when he was in charge, he'd make sure of it.

"Are we all ready?" The droll voice came from behind them, Joshua glanced at the retreating group and then dismissed them with a sneer. "Look on the bright side, when Malachai has been dealt with, perhaps the witch would be willing to give you a chance." He turned to enter the house through a side door.

Ignoring the jabs and jeers from his friends, Theodore schooled his features into placidity before following, Joshua Parker was unware that his time was coming to an end as well. 'Patience' he told himself, all his planning over the years was about to pay off in a big way. The best thing was he wouldn't even have to do the heavy lifting. The Bennett witch would be the one to lift the cloaking spell , while Joshua and whatever followers he still had left would be the ones to actually locate and perform the removal spell. All he had to do was step in at the right moment.

He became aware that the former Gemini leader was still talking, both he and his son had a penchant for using ten words when only 5 would do. "They actually thought I wouldn't know that the Bennett girl had been here before? I know everything that goes on within these walls." The group heads down a dark hallway that leads away from the most trafficked areas in the house. Joshua waves a hand and utters a simple 'revelare'. The wall at the end of the hallway shimmers before the image of a door appears. "Especially when someone who is not a Gemini has been porting in and out of the compound."

Joshua notes the other mans' raised eyebrows and chuckles, "Oh yes, it seems my children have been conspiring behind my back. No matter, I let them have their secrets, I figure it'll come in handy one day."

"Let me guess, today is that day?" One of the group asks sarcastically, anxious to get the show on the road. Andrew Rosso, another Gemini member that didn't trust that Kai Parker was what their coven needed. He was chosen for his proficiency in offensive spells, and the fact that he was firmly under Theodore's thumb. Joshua had already informed them that the portal leads straight into Mystic Falls. Theodore and his chosen few were to go and…subdue whomever may be on the other side aiding the Bennett witch. He opened the door and one by one the group stepped through, immediately swept away by a swirling vortex.

 

 

When Theodore opened his eyes, he was surprised to see they had landed in what looked to be a basement. The place had an old feel to it, and all signs pointed to it being abandoned. Moonlight filtered through a dirty window, but not enough to see properly.

'Man, what is this place?"

"Is this where that Bennett chick lives?"

Theodore rolled his eyes, Mark and David Ramsey, not chosen for their smarts obviously. Separately they were nothing special, but when the twins combined their magic, they were damn near unstoppable.

"In Lumine", he whispered. Instead of the bright ball of light he had conjured appearing before him, flames from lanterns that he had not noticed shot up in the air. The air grew heavy with the faint smell of smoke, and there was a faint buzzing in his ear. Ignoring the surprised yelps of his companions, he spotted the stairs and took off without a word, wanting to at least be out of the basement that had apparently taken on a mind of its own.

Soon it was apparent that it wasn't just the basement that had come alive. As the group ascended each stair, the candles that lined the walls would flare, and the buzzing sound was becoming more insistent.

"Tell me you guys hear that too." Andrew's brown eyes were almost comically wide by now.

"Never mind that, do you guys smell that? Is something on fire?" One of the twins, Theodore didn't really care to differentiate which one at this point, countered.

Theodore swore under his breath, and made a mental note that when he became Praetor to choose people who actually knew the history of covens other than their own.

"That smell is because a hundred witches were burned here, and we all know what happens to witches that die a violent death, right?" They had reached he main floor of the house and the main door was in sight.

"They're forced to spend forever haunting a creepy old ass house?" Andrew tried to joke to lighten the mood.

Theodore spun around, "Watch your mouth, Rosso." The spirits were always listening, and insulting witches, especially Bennett witches, was never a good idea.

 

The warning came too late.

 

The candles flared once more as the buzzing sound changed to angry whispers and chanting.

"They really don't like it when their home is insulted, I mean seriously, how would you feel?" The playful feminine voice came from the now open front door. They turned to see a pretty blonde lounging in the doorway.

"Honestly sister, I don't care one whit about how they feel. Can we get on with the maiming?" A dark haired man with an impish smile appeared next to the blonde in the doorway. 

Theodore could sense the others' fear at the two vampires at the door, but he was starting to get excited. Not one, but two vampires? They must be in the vicinity.

"Kol!" The blonde chastised her brother, swatting his arm before turning back to the men who had not moved a muscle. "You must forgive my brother, he was born arrogant. Where are my manners? My name is Rebekah, and this is my brother Kol-"

"Mikealson." Theodore breathed out. Not just vampires…originals! 

There was no way this wasn't the right place, he was sure of it now. Behind him he could sense the twins gearing up to merge their strength, but he put a stop to that. "Don't bother just yet, you see how they stop at the doorway? Originals or not, they still have to abide by the rules, and it looks like no one has invited them in. Otherwise I'm sure we'd be having this conversation up close and personal. Isn't that correct?" He called to the siblings.

"Well, would you look at that?" Kol turned to Rebekah with wide eyes.

"Yes, it looks like he's got us brother. Maybe we should just leave, I mean after all he's correct, we haven't been invited in…."

"But we have." There was a rush of air, and two additional vampires were suddenly flanking the two in the doorway, another blonde and a man with dark hair, sporting a furrowed brow.

Andrew steps forward and tries to throw out a quick hex, but is dismayed to find that his magic is not responding. He turns to the others finding that the problem is not just with him. "What did you blood-suckers do to our magic?"

"Nothing!" The new blonde responds with a cheerful smile, "We just need to make sure you don't interfere with anything."

"And since the spirits won't let me handle it my way….." Kol rolled his eyes.

"Kol, your way was to use one of your dark objects to permanently suck the magic out of them. How did you even think that would fly?" The dark haired vampire asked incredulously.

"Oh Stefan, leave him to it. He's been acting like a child and aching to burst open his bag of toys ever since he retrieved them." Rebekah waved a hand airily, while the other unnamed blonde glanced at Kol warily, "Okay just to ease my mind, what did you use?"

A maniacal smile slid across the original's face, "Don't worry love-"

"Don't call me that." She cut him off.

"Oh I'm sorry, is that reserved for my brother?" He easily dodged her swing. 

"Okay then, Caroline" He made sure to exaggerate her name, "What I used was a simple magic inhibitor, coupled with a nifty little imprisonment doll. Once the candles burn down, their magic will return to them, no worse for the wear."

"And the creepy ass doll head?" Stefan asked.

Kol's once easy going expression darkened, "A replica of the same doll that was used to imprison a dear friend of mine. Unlike my dear Mary-Alice, though, you will not have to spend eternity locked up until you go mad." He shook his head and the smile was back on his face, "so you see, this is just a time-out for you all. Be thankful" With that he turned away and walked towards the wrought iron gate that lined the property. "If any of you desire not to be stuck inside, I'd suggest you vacate the premises."

The two blondes vanished in a blink of the eye. The last vampire, the one called Stefan paused on his way out, "We're really not trying to step on anyone's hands here; we just want to protect our own. When the spell is up, do everyone a favor and just go home." 

He was out the door and standing next to Kol as he placed the head on one of the spokes and watched as he deliberately turned the head facing away from the door. Immediately the sounds from inside the house were muted and while Stefan couldn't see the barrier, he felt it go up all around the property.

 

He side-eyed Kol, "What else do you have in that bag of yours?"

Kol's answering grin did absolutely nothing to put Stefan's mind at ease.


End file.
